Light in the darkness OS Contest 2018
by PlatformFanFics
Summary: Seven stories written by different authors for the Platform Light in the Darkness OS challenge. Please visit our facebook page, Platform 9 3/4, for voting instructions. The only stipulations were to tie in with Light in the Darkness theme, be under 8k words, and rated T or under. Multiple pairings and timelines. Enjoy!
1. Brief

**The following 7 works were submitted by various members of the facebook group, Platform Nine and Three Quarters. The prompt they were given was Light in the Darkness. They were told they could do this in any way they wanted.**

 **The following is a list of the stories and the chapter they are in;**

 **Chapter 1:** Welcoming Brief  
 **Chapter 2:** Until Death Do Us Part- Charlie Weasley x Hermione Granger  
 **Chapter 3:** Underneath the Ice- Merula Snide  
 **Chapter 4:** If only I could cast Lumos- Draco Malfoy x Hermione Granger  
 **Chapter 5:** The Dark Lady- Thorfinn Rowle x Hermione Granger  
 **Chapter 6:** Bright- Draco Malfoy x Luna Lovegood  
 **Chapter 7:** Light into the Darkness presents- Graham Montague x Luna Lovegood  
 **Chapter 8:** Secret light- Rodolphus Lestrange x Minerva McGonagall  
 **Chapter 9:** Closing Brief

 **We would like to thank all of our writers for entering and supporting each other throughout this contest!**

 **We would also like to thank anyone who took the time to beta for the writers!**

 **We would also like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended**

 **Thank you for reading and voting for this contest and supporting the writers.**

 **Love from,**

 **The Platform Fanfiction Coordinators xx**


	2. Until death do us part

**Title:** Until Death Do Us Part

 **Genre:** Angst/Romance

 **Rating:** T

 **Writer:** Anonymous at this point

 **Pairing:** Charlie Weasley x Hermione Granger

 **Characters:** Charlie Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Percy Weasley, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Antonin Dolohov, Augustus Rookwood, Yaxley, Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange

 **Summary:** After the Battle of Hogwarts, Charlie Weasley is left with a severe injury; he is left damaged and broken in more ways than one. But his salvation comes in a surprising form; one just as broken as he is. Together, they must navigate the treacherous waters of love, loss and moving on.

 **I would like to thank my beta for their hard work put into helping me with this story, they will be named at the end of the contest to continue anonymity**

 **We would also like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended**.

* * *

As he walked hesitantly to where the green fields collided with a very tall stone wall, Charlie Weasley sighed. On the other side of that wall he could hear distant roars. _It must be feeding time._

He stood for a minute, his eyes staring blankly towards the faraway sounds that were so familiar to him.

 _Staring, but not seeing._

As the cool Romanian wind gently blew across his face, he could _smell_ the sweet scent of the crocus and acanthus plants growing in the vast fields. But he couldn't see them. He could _feel_ that stone wall, and the lock that opened it, but he couldn't see it. He could _hear_ the wind rustling the grass and the clanging of bells in the village below; but he couldn't _see_ any of it.

Tears welled at the back of Charlie's blank eyes. He stared out at the bright day around him, _seeing only darkness_. He turned away from the stone wall and walked away slowly, a picture of dejection and misery. He couldn't do the one thing he loved more than anything in the world.

 _He couldn't work with dragons._

 _Because Charlie Weasley was blind._

OoO

" _Charlie! Behind you!" He heard a shrill and panicked voice screaming from about twenty metres away. He spun around, in time to dodge a Stunning spell that was hurled at him by Bellatrix Lestrange. Shaken, Charlie took a split second to recover and hurled a jinx back. He couldn't tell where the voice had come from, but he would find the girl later and thank her, she had probably saved him from certain death._

 _To his left he could see Fred and George duelling Yaxley together, whilst Percy was duelling Dolohov in the courtyard. Even through all the chaos and pandemonium, Charlie felt a burst of pride and happiness; Percy was the prodigal son, and he had come home. Finally._

 _That small bit of jubilation didn't last long. All around them people were fighting, bleeding, dying._

 _Professor Trelawney was still hurling crystal balls at unsuspecting Death Eaters, shouting insults in blood-curdling screams as she threw them._

 _Professor Sprout and Neville were showering Voldemort's followers in ceramic pots and Stinksap, which seemed to be providing amusement for Peeves, who joined in by swooping low over the scene and dropping Snargaluff Pods on them._

 _The desks and stone statues that Professor McGonagall had transfigured were still marching, fighting, defending._

 _Charlie took in the scene around him, his eyes wide in horror as he fully grasped the magnitude of the pure destruction Voldemort was leaving in his wake. But he remembered Sirius' words to him; protect Harry. So he kept fighting._

 _They all did._

 _They would fight until the end, until there was nothing left to fight for or no one left to fight._

 _And then, suddenly, it stopped. Or had it?_

 _No. He could see people still fighting around him. So why did time feel like it had frozen?_

 _A shiver ran down the length of his spine, the hairs on his arm raised. He spotted Ron duelling Rookwood on the landing at the top of the stairs. Rookwood was unrelenting as he threw curses and hexes at Ron, who could only summon a temporary shield to protect himself. He was out of his depth in this fight, and Charlie could see his little brother being forced closer to the edge of the landing. Closer to the balcony._

 _Time seemed to move in slow motion. He felt himself running towards Ron, running past the ever growing piles of the wounded and slain toward the heat of the battle. He felt himself yelling his brother's name, but in that moment, he couldn't hear it._

" _RON!"_

 _Silence reigned._

 _Time froze._

" _STUPEFY!" Ron's face was masked in terror and disbelief as he was pushed backwards over the stone bannister. Charlie watched in anguish as Ron fell to the ground with a sickening thud._

 _His lifeless body lay limp and unmoving._

 _He saw his family come from all corners of the Great Hall, surrendering their duels to fellow fighters. Molly lay over Ron's body, her tears falling fast and furiously. Fred and George stood in shocked silence, their arms locked around each other. Percy held Ginny as she sobbed hysterically; Percy didn't appear to be doing much better._

 _Charlie stood and watched this scene unfold for what seemed like an eternity, the shock and horror overwhelming him. He didn't see it coming. He never saw Rookwood, only heard him. "Carentium Visus!"_

 _Charlie's world went black._

OoO

Hermione watched Charlie turn and walk away from the place he had once loved more than any other. The dragon sanctuary had been _his home, his safe space, his happy place;_ and now it had been torn away from him, as well as his sight, his brother and the many friends they had lost that day. Hermione felt tears coming, but she swiftly wiped them away with the back of her hand. She had to be strong for Charlie.

Every day they healed a little bit more, but it still hurt like hell.

She waited for him at the bottom of the hill under the lamp post, as she always did. They did this every day; Charlie would insist on walking alone and unaided up the hill to his former place of employment. She didn't really know why; she suspected it was so he knew he could walk by himself, or he could be close to his beloved dragons, but he never expounded in so many words.

As he came closer, Hermione couldn't help but smile a little. He was not typically handsome, but he was strikingly attractive nonetheless. He had the trademark Weasley red hair, which had now grown relatively long and fell in waves over his forehead and eyes.

 _Those eyes_. Blue and intense, even more so now. They were vacant and stared at her with longing, filled with a thousand beautiful memories. He wasn't too tall; just the right height for her to fit under his chin.

He couldn't see her, but she didn't care.

She could see him, and for now, it was enough.

Charlie reached her at the bottom of the hill and smiled sadly. _Words weren't necessary_. She pressed her forehead to his and held his face. They stayed standing there under the lamp post for a few minutes, frozen in time.

She pressed her lips firmly against his, then held her lips to his cheek, offering him comfort.

Tucking her arm through his, they walked towards the village together, silently giving each other strength.

She remembered how they had started out. _They would get through this._

 _Together._

OoO

 _Hermione saw it too. She saw Ron fall. She saw Ron die. Her best friend, gone, just like that. She saw his family rush over to him, desperate in their attempts to bring him back. She didn't have time to mourn, so she fought on, tears falling relentlessly down her face. She hurled a Knockback Jinx at Yaxley, then spun to dodge a Killing Curse sent her way by a furious Lucius Malfoy._

 _As she span, she saw another warrior fall. All she glimpsed was the red hair. Not another Weasley. Please. I can't lose another Weasley. Ducking Yaxley's cruciatus curse and dodging through the rubble, she ran for her life to the place where Charlie Weasley had fallen._

 _He lay on the ground, seemingly unconscious, but still breathing. Streams of red and green light came hurtling towards them; Hermione, clutching Charlie's shoulders, dragged him out of the way, pulling him to the shelter of an upturned table. "Ginny, cover us!" Hermione's voice cut through the air. Ginny turned her head to where Hermione was, eyes wide in grief and shock and she nodded._

 _Preparing to take the extra fire._

 _Hermione ducked back behind the table._

 _Charlie needed her._

" _Charlie. Wake up, Charlie, please," Hermione pleaded with him desperately, "Charlie you have to open your eyes; look at me, please."_

 _Charlie groaned softly, and opened his eyes, to stare directly into hers._

 _Hermione sighed in relief and placed a hand on his cheek and her forehead on his._

" _That was close," she whispered, a sob rising in her throat._

 _But then Charlie began to shake. Hermione felt his grip on her hand tighten, and his breathing got faster as he began to hyperventilate._

" _Charlie? Charlie, what's wrong? Charlie!" Hermione's voice was fearful and urgent._

" _Just breathe, Charlie, breathe."_

 _Charlie closed his eyes and opened them again, blinking hard._

 _And then, when he made a terrible realisation, tears began to fall freely down his face._

" _Hermione," he whispered, "I can't see."_

OoO

Hermione and Charlie walked side by side, hand in hand through the little village. The sun was beginning to descend over the horizon, and dusk began to settle.

As they wandered through the streets, Charlie placed his large tanned hand over her petite pale one, still tucked through his arm. "I really don't know what I did to deserve you, Hermione," he whispered.

Hermione heard him and smiled up at him softly. "What did you do to deserve me? You were kind. And even though you couldn't see me, you saw _into_ me. _You pierced my soul_ , and I couldn't let you get away, could I?"

Charlie stopped walking and turned her so she was facing him. "Are you sure you're real? This isn't some sort of cruel dream?" His voice was uncertain and hesitant.

She lifted his hand to her face. "I'm here, Charlie. I'm real. See?" His hand caressed her face gently, his thumb tenderly sliding over her eyes, her cheeks, her smile.

"My word," he spoke in a wondering disbelief, "You _are_ real."

A lump came to Hermione's throat. This man who had been so strong and sure of himself had been weakened and made so vulnerable. They had both lost a lot during the war, but Charlie had suffered more than most.

" _I will always be here, Charlie. I'm not going anywhere,"_ she whispered.

 _And for the first time in a long time, Charlie Weasley smiled._

OoO

 _The battle was over. Harry had killed Voldemort, with Neville and Draco fighting at his side. The war was over, but at what cost?_

 _Hermione sat with Charlie, whose head was buried into her neck as she held him tight and tried to comfort him._

" _Charlie," she whispered, "It's ok. I'm here. It's over. You're safe."_

 _Charlie began to sob. "Ron," he managed to choke out._

" _Did Ron make it?" Hermione glanced over at where the fallen warriors were lying, respectfully covered with shrouds of silver. A lanky form with red hair and freckles was among them. Silent sobs racked Hermione as she realised that Ron was gone._

 _Her best friend for the last seven years was dead._

" _No," she whispered into Charlie's hair._

" _No. Ron didn't make it."_

 _The two of them sat huddled behind the table in shocked silence, sobbing and holding each other tightly._

 _Over the following days, Charlie and Hermione were inseparable, silently consoling each other in their grief. They walked out together, they sat together and held each other, and they confided in each other the things that no one else could understand._

 _Then one day, on a perfectly insignificant day of no consequence to anyone else, their perfect friendship took a romantic turn._

 _Charlie and Hermione were sitting together on the porch swing, Hermione engrossed in a book, Charlie pretending to sleep. He still couldn't see, but he sensed Hermione's presence beside him._

 _This girl had been the one thing that had held him together._

 _She had saved him in more ways than one._

 _With no warning at all, he impulsively leaned over and kissed her sweetly, and was delightfully surprised when Hermione dropped her book, raised her arms and wrapped them gently around his neck to return his kiss._

 _When they finally broke away, foreheads pressed together, Charlie smiled._

 _He had found the light of his life, and he wasn't letting her go. "Hermione?"_

 _She smiled. "Charlie?"_

 _He kissed her again, softly on the cheek this time. "Don't ever leave," he whispered._

 _She cupped his face gently and gazed into his beautiful blue, unseeing eyes._

" _I never will, Charlie Weasley."_

OoO

Charlie knew that he loved Hermione more than life itself. And right now, in this perfect moment, surrounded by silence and peace, he knew what he wanted from life.

 _Dragons had been his past._

He had thrown himself into his work and loved every second of it. The Battle and the memories of it lived on in him; the last thing he remembered seeing was the death of his brother. Ron, falling to his death.

 _This was his present._

 _But Hermione, she was his future._

He had a love so deep for her, that it outweighed anything else in his life. She had brought him back from the brink of darkness. He couldn't see her, but he could feel her beautiful spirit; it radiated out of her like the light of a lone lighthouse.

Charlie knelt down on one knee, still clasping the hands of Hermione, who let out a very audible gasp.

"Hermione?" he whispered.

"Charlie?" she whispered back.

"Will you do me the very great honour…" his voice trailed off and broke with emotion.

Hermione didn't let him finish his sentence. She dropped to her knees in front of him.

" _Of course I will, Charlie," she said, her own voice shaking._

" _I love you, Hermione," Charlie whispered._

" _I love you, Charlie," Hermione whispered._

" _Until death do us part?"_

" _Until death do us part."_

* * *

 **The writer would like to thank all who took the time to read and comment on this story xx**


	3. Underneath the ice

**Story title:** Underneath the Ice  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Genre:** Action/Adventure/Drama  
 **Your Fanfic Penname AND Facebook name:** Anonymous at this time  
 **Pairing** **:** None  
 **Summary:** When Voldemort set out to kill Harry Potter and failed, life fell apart for eight year old Merula Snyde. Her parents were locked up in Azkaban, and she was sent off to live with an aunt who couldn't care less about her. Hogwarts did not become the second chance she might have hoped for. Now, as she tries to navigate the unfriendly halls of Hogwarts, Merula has only one force driving her: The Cursed Vaults, and her desire to get inside. But perhaps uncovering the secret to the vaults is nothing compared to facing what is hiding beneath the ice.

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

It was a rather overcast day when Merula Snyde boarded the Hogwarts Express for the very first time, leaving the tatters of her life behind her.

Her aunt had dropped her off at King's Cross with her trunk, a smirk, and a casual bit of advice: "Just walk at the wall, Merula," and then she had turned and walked off, her hair swaying with every step and flashing in the dim light as it managed to catch every bit of light that made it through the clouds.

Merula watched her go, and remarked to herself that she was probably hoping she'd never have to bother with her niece again. But there was nothing to be done for it, so Merula grabbed her trunk and dragged it toward the station, wondering where on earth she was to go, and wishing her own mum was here and not locked in a cell in Azkaban.

As she walked down the station she spotted a small blond boy with a tear streaked face being led along by people she could only assume were his parents – a kindly looking blonde woman who was holding his hand, and a tall blond man who was rolling along a trunk. It all looked very Hogwartsy to her, so she followed behind them as they approached the divider between Platforms 9 and 10.

"Now Ben," the woman said in a motherly voice, "Professor McGonagall said you simply walk through this wall here to get into the station. Do you want to go first?"

"N-No," he said, his voice shaking. "Mum, I've changed my mind. I don't want to go."

His father sighed. "Son, come on. Don't you want to learn magic? You've been reading all those books forever."

"That's right," his mother chimed in. "This is your dream come true, Ben. A wizard in the family! We're so proud of you. You'll have an amazing time at Hogwarts."

"You really think so?" The boy asked, looking up at them. His voice was fearful, but tinged with just a little bit of hope, and even fainter, a little bit of excitement.

"Of course!" They both said together.

"Besides," his father added, "you can always come home, Ben. We'll always be here waiting for you. Now go, son. Have an adventure!"

And with that, the muggle family walked towards the barrier and disappeared through it. Merula waited a few beats, and followed.

She dragged her trunk onto the train, nearly dropping it on her foot in the process, and settled in an empty compartment halfway down the car, from which she could just see the muggle family if she leaned her head against the window and looked down the platform. Their voices drifted in through the half cracked window, along with a cacophony of sound, and she could just make out Ben's mother above the din.

"Now make sure you eat all your meals, and work hard… Oh Ben, I can't believe you're really leaving."

The mother lifted her hand to her mouth, and Merula wondered if she was crying. Was she going to miss her son so terribly? Her own aunt couldn't care less that she was gone of course, Merula knew she was quite glad to finally be rid of her, but had her mother cried when they locked her up in Azkaban? Was she missing her daughter? Was she excited that Merula was finally starting Hogwarts? But she couldn't think about that. Not that.

She turned her attention back to the family as the platform began to empty of students. The father was loading Ben's trunk onto the train as the mother said, "…and we'll send you lots of letters, Ben. Professor McGonagall said she will designate an owl to us, and you can use the owls at the school. Maybe we can get you your own owl later if you like. As long as you do well in school of course, young man!"

The whistle blew to signal the train's imminent departure, and Ben and his parents jumped, then looked around sheepishly.

"Well come on then, son," the father said. "Off you go now."

The muggles loaded their son onto the train, and stood back, smiling and waving as the train picked up speed. Merula watched them as the train rounded the corner, and the platform disappeared from sight, her violet eyes slightly narrowed. She turned away from the window as the city views began to blur into one another and picked up her bag. She started rummaging through it, her hand closing over the familiar shape of a worn book, when she heard the door to her compartment slide open, and raised her head to see the blond boy with the muggle parents standing there, his cheeks marked with tear tracks. He was holding a small bag filled with candy in one hand, and his robes were draped over the other.

"H-Hi," he stammered. "Can I sit with you? Everywhere else looks full. I'm Ben."

She stared at him, not saying a word. He gulped a little but took a cautious step into her compartment.

"Are you a first year student too? I can't believe we're going to a magic school! Did you know about magic before you got the letter?"

Merula continued to stare at him and his stained face, and his little bag of candy, with all his parents' expectations, hopes, and dreams on his little shoulders, and she felt a guttural rage rise up in her like nothing she had ever experienced before. She felt all her anger and bitterness and all those other emotions that she didn't even understand yet boil to the surface, and explode out of her in the only way an eleven year old knew how.

"Get out of here, you filthy Mudblood!" She roared angrily, the word she'd often heard her father use rolling off her tongue easily. "You don't belong at Hogwarts!"

She was on her feet before she knew it, her mother's wand in her hand.

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO ON AND RUN BACK TO YOUR PARENTS? YOU SNIVELLING MUGGLE!"

He took a step back, terrified, raising his hands to his face.

" _STUPEFY_!" She shouted, the spell coming easily to mind.

Her wand glowed red for a second and shuddered in her hand. She felt a force leave it and shoot off in Ben's direction. She had never used the spell before, and it didn't stun him, but the force pushed him back slightly toward the door, and as he was backing up already; he hit his elbow on the door handle. He howled with a shriek she thought highly disproportionate to the damage she had inflicted, dropped his bag of candy, and ran out of her compartment, sobbing.

Merula stared after him, still holding her wand and wondering briefly what had come over her. She was just beginning to feel a slight amount of shame for scaring the boy, when multiple faces appeared at her compartment door, staring at her.

"She's t-the one!" The boy cried, and she saw that he was back, standing with a cluster of students further down the corridor "She hurt me!" An older boy put his arm around Ben's shoulders and led him away. The other students glared at her and started muttering as they turned away and retreated back to their compartments.

Before she knew it, she was alone. She could still hear the students through the walls, likely discussing her. She walked back amidst the scattered candy and grabbed her bag from where she had left it. She reached inside, and took out the notebook her mother had given her, just before she was taken. On the inside cover was a photo of Merula, around five years old, grinning with the arms of both parents around her, waving at the camera. She held it tightly to her chest for a moment, before letting her hands fall.

She may not have a loving family who would see her off at the station, and she may have lost any chance she had of making friends at Hogwarts, but one thing she knew she had in abundance was pride. If those stupid idiots wanted to judge her for what had happened, and whisper behind her back, then she sure didn't need them. If they thought she was a bully, then that's what she would be. She was Merula Snyde. She didn't need anyone.

She picked up one of Ben's candies from the floor and ate it. Forget those idiots. She knew exactly what kind of person she was. And what kind of person she would have to be.

 **oOo**

It had taken Merula a little while to settle in at Hogwarts. After her dueling display on the train, word of her attack on Ben had spread quickly, and she often found herself alone, avoiding stares from the other students everywhere she went. Even Slytherins often gave her a wide birth. When she was sorted into the great and honorable house of her parents, her reception had been less than lukewarm, with scattered applause and a fresh round of muttering. It appeared to her that the sorting had seemed to solidify, in the minds of many, her "despicable" nature. And Slytherins who wanted nothing more than to build up the reputation of their house after the war had taken her actions as a personal insult.

Merula, who did not appreciate being ostracized, took it upon herself to snap and curse at anyone who came near. The easiest target, of course, was Ben, who followed her around indiscriminately! It was completely mind boggling, but every time she turned around, that pathetic sniveling Gryffindor (She could not believe that. Gryffindor?!) was always several steps behind her, darting behind a statue or suit of armor to avoid her gaze. She had thrown every hex she knew at him, and yelled at him constantly, and still he persisted. At flying class, she had covered his broomstick handle with so much polish when his back was turned, than he had slid off and fell on his face when he tried to mount it. But none of her efforts seemed to serve as a deterrent.

On top of that, Ben had obtained two friends, who if possible, were even more irritating. The first of which aggravated Merula to such a degree, that she could not even deign to use her name, and referred to the girl simply as "the Character." She was obsessed with her brother, Jacob, who had been thrown out of Hogwarts previously for being a complete nutcase. She seemed to constantly change everything, from her Hogwarts house to her hairstyle. In fact, Merula wasn't even entirely sure that she was, in fact, a girl. And her friend Rowan was, if possible, even worse. Just the other day, Merula had been sure she had seen her stroll across the Slytherin common room, carrying her bloody textbooks, as if she belonged there.

Merula had taken the first opportunity she could to lock them both up in a closet with some Devil's Snare that she had snuck out of the greenhouses, but unfortunately they had managed to escape.

Time she wasn't spending preventatively bullying the other students, Merula spent in a dark corner of her dungeon common room, flipping through her mother's notebook, and trying to make some sense of the scribbles on the pages. Part of the writing was blurred, and in those sections, the pages of the notebook had turned cold: almost as if they were covered with a very thin sheet of ice. If it was indeed ice, it did not melt. She slid her hands over the pages, feeling the cold seep into her fingers. She couldn't make sense of it.

In the scribbles that were not obscured, she could just make out seemingly random fragments of thought, like ' _the fire in the vault'_ , and ' _Jacob' or ' For… Merula_.'

She could understand little to nothing from the book, other than it had been important to her mother. And from the parts that did make sense, she could only assume that it had something to do with The Cursed Vaults, and that stupid Jacob who had been expelled, and by extension….the Character… his moronic, clumsy, goody-two-shoes sister. And the fact that she was connected in any distant way to that idiot set Merula's blood boiling.

She closed the book and shoved it in her bag. Perhaps she could do with a little sunshine. Merula headed off to the courtyard.

As she walked up the stone steps from the dungeons and made her way across the entry hall, she heard the soft _tap-tap_ of footsteps start up in a steady rhythm behind her. She gritted her teeth and strode straight ahead, pointedly ignoring it. It followed her all the way to the courtyard. She sat down in a corner and reached for the notebook again, as the other students literally melted away from her. They drifted into tighter groups and turned away, shooting glances at her occasionally.

She wondered if the giant squid would fancy an early lunch. Some of those stragglers were standing awfully close to the lake after all.

Just then she felt the presence of eyes on her. She lifted her own, and found that she was looking right at Ben Copper, who was staring at her intently, partially hidden behind a bush. He backed away hurriedly when she locked eyes with him.

' _That's it!'_ She thought, and jumped to her feet while whipping out her wand.

"You're an embarrassment to everyone in our year!" She growled. "Disgusting Mudbloods like you shouldn't even be allowed in Hogwarts! _Expelliarmus_!"

Merula shouted the spell angrily, pointing her wand at him. If that little freak did not stop following her around, she was going to really lose it. And soon.

He cried out as he was blasted off his feet. Merula advanced on him, wand out. Students drew back, gasping and forming a lose circle around them.

"Stop following me, you sniveling little coward! _Rictusempra_!"

He doubled over, crying and laughing at the same time from her tickling hex.

"What do you want from me!" she hissed. "Go back to your mummy and daddy. You still got some, haven't you?"

She raised her wand again, aiming to stop the jinx when she heard hurried footsteps and shouts.

"Merula! What do you think you're doing?!"

She recognized that voice. She ground her teeth in frustration. Just what she needed, for those idiots to get involved.

"Leave Ben alone!" the Character shouted. "What's he ever done to you?"

"Don't get involved in this," Merula told her. "Or I'll duel you next."

The girl drew herself up, wand at the ready.

"Just stop it," she said haughtily. "I'm sure your parents will eventually be released from Azkaban. Just because they chose evil, doesn't mean you have to be evil too."

"How dare you mention my family!" Merula hissed. "Why don't you make like your mad brother, and go missing!"

"You're the one everyone wishes would just go away. I'm not afraid of you, Merula. Bring it!"

" _Filipendo_!" Merula cried, pointing her wand at the irritating girl. It knocked her over backwards. She rolled to her side and shouted " _Rictusempra_!"

Merula bent over, trying not to laugh and completely ruin her image.

" _Filipendo_!" She ground out again through gritted teeth, and it hit her enemy right as she was making her way back to her feet and knocked her flat on her back. She lay there, stunned.

"Serves you right." Merula said, walking towards her. "Just like your stupid brother, you can't do it when it counts, huh?"

Just then the girl opened her eyes, fixed Merula with a determined glare, and threw a vial of potion at her face.

"Argh!" Merula cried, clawing at her eyes. She staggered backwards, stunned. Her movements were not responding as fast as they should be. "What is this?!"

" _Expelliarmus_!" the girl cried, and Merula felt her wand fly out of her hand. She tripped and fell down, the potion still limiting her movements. The girl stood over her, her wand steady in her hand.

"Don't. _Ever_. Curse. My. Friends. Again." She said, stressing every word. "Now apologize to Ben."

"Bite me!" Merula growled. "I'll never apologize to you losers and Mudbloods."

She fought her way to her feet and turned around to stalk towards the castle, and almost walked headlong into Professor Snape.

"Professor!" She cried, jumping back.

Snape fixed them both with an unreadable stare. "There is no dueling allowed on school grounds. You will both see me in the West Towers tonight."

"Yes, Professor," Merula spat out angrily. She grabbed her bag and stalked out of the courtyard, knocking students out of her way. So much for Snape favoring the Slytherins. Whatever the punishment was going to be, maybe she could just lock Jacob's stupid sister in there and be on her way.

 **oOo**

Merula made her way to the West Towers, scuffing her feet on the way to let out her frustration. It seemed that everyone in Hogwarts had her at the top of their most-hated lists. Even Snape was giving her a hard time. She almost couldn't blame them. There were plenty of things that she had done that she regretted… but it was too late. She couldn't be anything else now. They would never accept her. Perhaps if her parents hadn't been locked up the way they had, things would have been different.

She reached the landing and saw that she was alone. She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes for a second, wondering when everything had gone so terribly wrong. She knew that she shouldn't have attacked Ben in the courtyard, or on the train for that matter. But it was one thing to know this, and something else entirely to change it. She just couldn't stop herself from reacting this way. She scrunched up her eyes, before they started doing something incredibly embarrassing, like letting the tears that had welled up leak out. She wasn't some weakling, like Ben Copper. She was Merula Snyde, a proud Slytherin. And Slytherins didn't cry because of silly things like their parents being in Azkaban, or the whole school hating them. Slytherins didn't-

"Feeling remorseful, Miss Snyde?"

Merula jumped and her eyes shot open. Snape was standing there, giving her a look she couldn't quite explain.

"Just expressing my unbelievable frustration, that someone can't be here in a timely manner, Professor."

"Ah, yes," he said, his voice expressionless. "But perhaps one should recognize and address one's own faults before finding them in others. Wouldn't you agree, Miss Snyde?"

"Yes, Professor," she muttered, moving her eyes away from his penetrating gaze and staring down at the floor.

Just then she heard footsteps approaching. She looked up and saw the frustratingly annoying girl coming up the stairs. She tripped slightly on the top step, grabbed the banister to regain her balance, and looked around as she finally scaled the landing, her face a little ashamed. She said nothing.

"Now that everyone is finally here," Snape said in a dry tone, "I can discuss your punishment. Expulsion seems to be the most logical option."

"B-but Professor!" The girl cried.

"I didn't do anything, it was her fault!" Merula growled.

Snape ignored them both. "Unfortunately," he drawled, "our Headmaster believes that expulsion is unfair…. this time. Rest assured, if I catch you dueling again, you _will_ both be expelled. In the meantime, detentions will have to do."

He gave them both a calculating stare and turned around abruptly to speak to Filch, who had appeared behind him out of nowhere so conveniently, it was almost as if Snape had _Accio-ed_ him over.

"What is it, Mr. Filch?" Snape drawled.

"Professor Snape, you must come with me right away. It's about the… vaults."

"I see," Snape said. "Return to your common rooms. I will send you details of your detentions later," he added before following Filch down the corridor.

"They must be talking about the Cursed Vaults!" Merula said, excitement creeping into her voice. She thought back to her mother's notebook. It _had_ to be related! Making a snap decision, she turned and followed Snape and Filch down the corridor. The footsteps behind her indicated that the stupid girl was right on her heels.

"Get out of here!" Merula snapped at her quietly, as she observed Snape and Filch from behind a suit of armor. The girl ignored her.

"Who is Snape talking to?"

"That's Filch, you complete idiot."

"Are they talking about the Cursed Vaults?"

"I don't know," Merula said, exasperated, "because you won't shut up!"

She watched Snape and Filch secure a door before heading away. She waited until they turned a corner, then darted out from behind the statue and made her way to the door, the girl right behind her.

"I wonder if the Vaults are inside," she said.

Merula ignored her and put her palm against the door. She drew it away suddenly.

"It's cold," she said, surprised. Touching the door had been like laying a hand on a sheet of ice. She could feel a thin coating of ice around her hand for a second, before it melted away. She examined the doorknob.

"Move over!" The girl said excitedly as she drew out her wand and pointed it at the door. "If I can get in there, maybe I will find out something about Jacob! _Alohomora_!"

"Out of my way!" Merula cried, and shoved the girl sideways. She wrapped her hand in her robe and pulled at the door. Slowly, it started to creak open. And suddenly out of the crack, a freezing wind blew, bringing snow and ice with it. She could feel it coating her robes, which began to freeze and weigh her down.

"Close it, close it!" She gasped, as she pushed her full weight against the door. The girl leaned against it too, and slowly they were able to push the door shut. Merula slid down to the floor, gasping and shaking. The ice began to melt from her robes, leaving them drenched. The girl stared at her with wide eyes.

"What was that?" she gasped.

"The Cursed Vaults, I imagine," Merula pulled herself to her feet. She glared at the girl for a second, and then started away toward the Slytherin Common Room. She was going to need a better plan if she was going to get into that blizzard of a room.

 **oOo**

Her potion bubbled and frothed and Merula sat there, staring into the distance, her eyes unfocused. Last night, after she had changed out of her freezing robes, she had pursued her mother's notebook again. She had flipped through the pages, looking for any hints within the icy words, and nothing had popped out at her. No whisper of a secret entrance. No code within the ice.

She had slammed the notebook shut, glowered at it, and then opened it again and looked at the family photo behind the cover. Her smile was so bright it almost brought tears to her eyes. Here she was, waving at the camera without a care in the world, no clue that only a few short years later her life would be torn asunder. And here were her parents, holding her tight, smiling at her and each other. Had they really been Death Eaters under that mask? Her mother had always taught her to do the right thing. To be kind. To share. Merula had long let go of these lessons. Her parents were sitting in a cell at Azkaban after all, found guilty of murder, and helping Voldemort rise to power, and all sorts of crimes – anything that would stick. What kind of things could they teach her that were worth remembering? Had they even believed in them to begin with? And now that she looked at it, the stupid picture was peeling in the corner. The stupid thing couldn't even stick right.

Merula ran her fingers over it absentmindedly to straighten it out, and paused, her fingers halfway across the photo. There was something there. She could just feel the tip of something, right underneath the edge of her small face, beneath the photo. Carefully, she pulled the photo away from the page. Behind it, was…. well, she couldn't quite think of a name for it. Saying it was a key might be the most accurate, but it was unlike any key she had ever seen. It was so thin, that it barely had any depth at all. The shape was similar to an infinity sign, and in the middle there was something that looked jagged, like an intricate array of icicles, all intertwined.

She picked it up carefully and held it between her thumb and forefinger. It was freezing cold, as if it were made of ice. It felt so brittle, she was afraid she might break it. Now this, this was the definition of a clue. What an earth did it mean?

"Miss Snyde, your potion does not appear to be exhibiting the colorless vapor that would be appropriate at this stage. Perhaps if you stopped daydreaming in my class, you would not be so far behind. Five points from Slytherin."

Merula jumped.

"Sorry Professor Snape," she forced out, grabbing her silver dagger and turning to her next ingredient. Snape watched her for several moments, then walked away toward a lost looking Gryffindor.

"That is not the proper way to chop up the root, Stevens. Twenty points from Gryffindor."

At least she was still in Snape's good graces. Tolerable graces at any rate. Thank Salazar Slytherin for that. She chopped up her root and threw it into her potion, then stirred it ten times clockwise. When she looked away from her cauldron again, she saw the bloody girl standing next to her table, grabbing something from the student cupboard.

"Hey, you," she hissed. "Did you tell anyone about what we found in the corridor last night."

"Err," the girl said, turning around, "well yeah, I told Rowan."

"For Slytherin's Sake, you're so dumb," Merula said, exasperated. "Why would you do that? Tell the whole bloody school, why don't you?" The girl frowned at her.

"Why are you so mean, Merula? Rowan is my friend. I trust her. Besides, why do you care about the vaults anyway? What do they have to do with you?"

"None of your bloody business!" Merula snapped, and turned back to her potion. The girl stared at her for a few more seconds before turning to walk away.

"Your potion," she said, as she walked past, "stir it two more times, counterclockwise. Or it's going to explode."

Merula growled at her, waited until she was on the other sound of the room, and then stirred her potion. The vapor turned colorless.

 **oOo**

It was the dead of night when Merula snuck towards the corridor. Inside, she hoped, were the Cursed Vaults. And those silly girls were going to get her in there. She had overheard them talking about their plan in the courtyard, and she had her own plan ready to go. She was a resourceful Slytherin after all, and not taking advantage of this opportunity would be completely against her nature.

She spotted them as they were making their way through the door: the annoying girl who would remain unnamed, her annoying friend Rowan, and that complete cowardly idiot Ben Copper. She could not believe they had brought him. Oh, this was going to be good.

She waited until they were inside, and it looked like the blizzard contained within had died down, before she rushed in, shoving the door open with her shoulder.

" _Filipendo_!" She cried, pointing her want at them. All three of them were knocked backwards into a pile of snow, caught off-guard. "Out of my way, morons! No one is going to find the Cursed Vaults before me!"

She left them in the snow by the entrance and raced further into the corridor _. 'I need to know,'_ she thought to herself, as she pushed her way past the snowy obstacles. ' _I need to know what my parents were doing in here. I need to know what this means.'_

Ice sprang up suddenly from the floor and surrounded her, halting her mid-step. She felt the cold stab into her. She cursed loudly.

"Merula! What happened?"

She turned her head as much as she could to watch them approaching, wands raised.

"Are you OK?" The girl asked. "Ben, Rowan, we'll have to get her out."

She started at them as ice continued to grow around them all, obscuring the walls and their exit. She had not done much to detain them, it was true, and here they were, following her. But she had hurt them, again and again, but yet here they were coming to her rescue. Those idiots. Why did they keep showing up when she didn't want them?

But it was so cold in the ice. So cold.

"C-can you get me out?" She asked, hating the pleading in her voice. Her teeth chattered. "P-please."

"I'll try the Knockback Jinx," the girl said. She pointed her want at Merula. " _Filipendo_!"

The ice broke away a little, and Merula's arm came free.

" _Filipendo_!" The girl cried again, pointing the wand at the chunks of ice around Merula. " _Filipendo_!"

She finally succeeded in freeing Merula, while Ben and Rowan walked around, examining the room.

"Thanks," Merula said grudgingly, brushing the remnants of ice off her robes. She was freezing.

"Don't thank us yet," Rowan said. "We're trapped in here. It's totally your fault, Merula."

"My fault? You all clearly were not prepared enough!"

" _WE_ weren't?!" Rowan cried, "Are you kidding me?"

"Stop it!" Ben cried. "We have to get out of here, before we all freeze."

"Ben, do you think we can filipendo our way out?" The girl asked. She pointed her wand at the ice blocking the way to the door, and tried the spell. Barely any ice fell away.

"Great, we're trapped," Merula grumbled.

"So what," Rowan said, "You just waltzed in here with no plan on getting out?"

"Of course I had a plan," Merula said haughtily.

"Oh yea? Whatever was it?"

" _Filipendo_!" The girl cried again, ignoring them and pointing at the door. A little more ice fell away.

"I don't have to tell _you_ anything, Khanna!"

"It's hopeless…" Ben mumbled. "I knew this was a bad idea!"

"Why don't you try it, Ben?" The girl asked, breathing heavily as she lowered her wand. "You're so good at Charms, Ben! And I can't keep doing this… I'm completely out of energy."

"I'm sorry, I'm too afraid."

"Worthless Mudblood…" Merula growled, earning glares from everyone around her.

"Just try it, Ben!" Rowan said. "We know you can do it."

"Yes, don't listen to her, Ben. Please you have to try. For your friends…"

"OK, I'll try…" Ben said, as he walked toward the door. He raised his wand, his arm shaking badly, and pointed it at the ice. " _Filipendo_!"

The ice shattered with the intensity of a small explosion. Everyone stared at the door, dumbfounded. Then Merula uttered what may have been the nicest thing she'd said all year.

"Well. I guess you aren't completely useless."

They ran for the door and pulled it open. The girl and her gang spilled out into the hallway beyond it. Merula was about to follow them, then paused, remembering the key in the notebook. She had not gotten her answers. She couldn't go yet.

"See you losers!" She called, and slammed the door shut behind them. It snapped into place, blocking out all the light from the hallway. The corridor turned pitch black. The only light was the low blue glow the ice was emitting where it had fallen in patches on the floor. She knew she didn't have much time before it started to grow back. She would have to go carefully now and figure this out. For the first time, she was all alone.

She raised her wand and whispered, " _Lumos_."

She made her way down the corridor, avoiding the ice that glowed in the faint light, tame for the time being. It was a dead end. She didn't understand. It had to lead somewhere! This was where the vaults were… wasn't it?

She paced back and forth at the end of the corridor, trying to keep warm.

' _I need to get into the vaults,_ ' she thought. ' _I need to get into the vaults. I need to know what was in my mother's notebook. I need to find the truth.'_

Suddenly she heard a snap, like a lot of magical energy unleashing, and felt the force of it blow past her and push her back. A door had appeared in the previously bare wall before her. It was made of ice.

"The vaults…" she breathed.

Suddenly she heard a clatter behind her. She whipped her head back, wand pointed, and saw the girl quickly scrambling up from the floor, brushing ice of her robes and staring at the door in wonder.

"Where did that come from?" She gasped.

"Never mind that!" Merula snapped. "What are you doing here? Get out!"

"Merula, don't be ridiculous, you can't come in here by yourself. You'll freeze to death. Come on, let's go."

"I can't go," She said. "I have to get inside the vaults."

"But why?" The girl asked. "Merula, come on, tell me."

"It's none of your business. I don't have time for this! The ice is going to grow back." She studied the door. The girl stepped closer.

"You know what I want in there," she breathed. "Answers about Jacob. What do you want? It must be something."

"He's not even your real brother, is he?" Merula shot at her, stalling. "Isn't Jacob really your cousin?"

"He's my brother," she said quietly. "He might as well be. And I have to find him."

Merula glanced at her. Ice was spreading up her robes from where she had knocked it over earlier. The ice around them was coming to life again. They were running out of time. She considered. The girl had saved her earlier after all. Perhaps trusting someone… was not the worst possible thing she could do. They both had something on the line after all. She didn't imagine that this girl and her could ever be friends, but she was so tired of carrying her burden alone.

"My mother left me a notebook that talks about the Cursed Vaults," she said. "It seems important. I need to know what's inside."

The girl stepped back, gripping her wand a little tighter.

"It could be dangerous. Your parents were-"

"I know!" Merula cut her off. "I know they were Death Eaters. They were found guilty at trial. I have no delusions. You idiot. But I need to know… what's inside."

She looked at Merula, as if she were sizing her up. Then she nodded, and gripped her wand tightly.

"Open it then."

Merula put her hand on the door and pulled it open. Nothing could have prepared her for what was inside.

It was a giant room, as tall as a cathedral. Everything was covered in ice. The floor. The walls. The ceiling. There were tall rows of ice throughout the room as well, with sharp jagged edges. The ice emitted its ethereal blue light, and the room was bathed in it. In the center of the room, there was a large rectangular structure, also made of ice, and within it burned a fire. They approached it carefully, marveling at how the fire could burn within the ice, without melting it, without the ice turning to water and dousing the flames. The flames cast a gentle orange glow that melted into the blue light around it.

The area surrounding the trapped fire was covered in spikes of ice, which formed a protective cage around it. As they approached, the ice came to life and began to move, shooting towards them to form an active perimeter around the fire, forcing them to stop in their tracks about twenty feet away. As the ice continued to shift, something came into view: a shape, surrounded by ice… Merula squinted and thought she saw a hand. She gasped, and at the same time she heard a scream behind her.

"JACOB! OH NO, JACOB!"

"NO!" Merula cried, as the girl darted past her toward the center of the ice. The icy spears shot at her, and the girl raised her hands in front of her face for protection as she ran. Some of the spears broke against her, but a couple pierced her robes and she screamed, falling to her knees.

" _Filipendo_!" Merula cried, aiming her wand at the spears. " _Incendio_!"

The icy spears drew back slightly, the spells just managing to hold them at bay. Merula ran out toward the girl.

"Get up!" She cried, dragging her to her feet. "Hurry!"

She dragged them back out of range of the spears, which had begun to regroup. The girl collapsed on the floor, blood trickling down her robes.

"Jacob," she moaned. "I have to free him."

"If he's in there, he's probably dead," Merula said, heartlessly. "You can't-"

"Shut-up!" The girl cried, tightly squeezing her bleeding arm. "He's NOT dead! He's my brother, I have to get him out. How could you say that?!"

"I'm just being realistic. Calm down!"

Merula circled the ice, trying to get a better look at Jacob. He was wrapped in ice, unmoving. She couldn't imagine how he could still be alive.

"Merula, we have to do something!"

The girl had gotten back to her feet, panting and shivering, still holding her arm. Merula could see blood trailing down her sleeve, while a thin patch of ice clawed its way up her robes, spreading.

" _Filipendo_!" The girl tried again, pointing her wand weakly at the ice. The ice moved aside slightly, letting her spell through harmlessly, before closing in again to block their path. It happened almost instantaneously. "Merula, try your fire spell."

"It didn't do much before." Merula said, shaking her head. They needed a better plan. She almost growled in frustration. Everything was going wrong. The room was freezing cold, and she could do little to stop herself from shaking. If she didn't do something soon, they would all die here. She spun around, desperately looking for an answer.

Something in the right corner of the room caught her eye. She made her way over to it, while the girl tried the Knockback Jinx again. In the corner was a large ice structure. It curved away at a gentle angle toward the ceiling, and then sloped back down, curving again towards the floor. She reached into her pocket and took out the notebook. She couldn't be sure but, yes… it looked like a giant version of her key. She took it out of the notebook carefully and held it up to the giant ice sculpture. There had to be a connection.

She stepped closer, tracing her hand across it. The coldness of the ice stabbed at her, cutting across the numbness from the cold she already felt, but she did not remove her hand, bringing it closer to the center of the statue, where the two loops connected. As she continued to trace the ice to the center, she felt a series of notches. And in the very middle was a groove. She could not see it, but she could somehow feel it with her fingertips, even though they were completely numb from the cold. She was positive that there was an indentation cut into the center of the ice that felt very similar to her key. With a desperate effort of will, she grabbed her infinity key and plunged it into the groove. It fit perfectly.

There was a blinding flash of light, and the fire inside the rectangle of ice roared to life. It exploded outward, the ice shattering. Within seconds, she felt the heat of the flames wash over her. She welcomed the fire. ' _Even if it burns me,_ ' she thought deliriously, ' _at least it is so warm.'_

It roared around her, obscuring everything. All she could see was orange. She shut her eyes as she felt it graze her face, and she could see the orange burning brightly through her eyelids. She screamed, her voice getting lost in the roar of the fire. It was everywhere. She wondered if this was the end. Would her own mistake be their downfall?

Suddenly, it was over. She felt the heat recede, leaving only a warm tinge on her cheeks. The darkness behind her eyelids was absolute. She opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the light. The fire was still burning, in several seemingly contained places around the room, as well as in a large torch in the center, where the rectangle of ice had been. The ice was gone. The rows that had been mountains of ice now appeared to be mountains of junk: bookshelves, drawers, and cabinets, with items piled sky-high around them. Merula gaped around the room as she walked back toward the fire in the torch.

The girl was on her knees, crawling towards Jacob. She reached him first, and shook his shoulders weakly.

"Jacob," she moaned. "Jacob! Wake up!"

Against all odds, he opened his eyes. They were a startling blue.

"Hey Peanut," he mumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you, stupid!" The girl sobbed. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," he said, starting to sit up. The girl pushed him back down, leaving bloody handprints on his shoulders. Merula came closer and crouched besides them. "You look so grown-up, Peanut. The ice came out of nowhere, it's the last thing I remember. I tried to stop it but…" He paused, looking toward Merula. "Hang on… are you Merula? Dayna and Alfred's daughter?"

"Yes," she said, perturbed. "Do you… know my parents?"

"Know them?" He whispered, " Of course I know them. They sent me here, you know."

Merula felt a cold sadness seep into her, despite the warmth that the fire had imprinted on her skin.

"They trapped you here?" She said, dully.

"Trapped me?" He was surprised. "No, of course not. We were working together, trying to stop You-Know-Who. Didn't you know?"

Merula dropped to the floor, shock sapping her strength. "W-what?"

"I had a vision," he told them, struggling to sit up. "About this place, and your parents. I knew that I could trust them. I found them, and we made a plan to come here. You-Know-Who has hidden something here, something important. We need to destroy it, so that we can kill him. The ice must be protecting it. He set up the Cursed Vaults to hide it. He- The ice! It's… gone?" He looked around the room wildly. "We have to find it!"

"It's OK! You-Know-Who is gone," the girl told him, calming him. "He's dead. Defeated by baby Harry Potter when he tried to kill him. It was three years ago, Jacob."

"Three years ago?" He gasped. "I was in here so long?" He put his face in his hands, while the girls looked at each other. "How could that be? Merula, where are your parents? Why haven't they come?"

"They're… in Azkaban," she said, slowly. Jacob looked aghast. "Are you telling me… are you saying, that they're innocent?"

The silence was deafening. Finally Jacob spoke.

"We'll get them out. Don't worry, Merula. Your parents were the finest people that I ever met. We were working together to take down You-Know-Who from the inside. I promise you, it's true. We'll get them out."

"OK," she whispered. "OK."

She couldn't believe it. It was too much. She had found the Cursed Vaults. She had found the secret. Her parents were innocent. Innocent. Could it really be true? She turned away, her hands shaking.

"Peanut," she heard Jacob say, "You're bleeding. What happened?"

"It was the nice, Jacob. I tried to run to you, and it attacked me."

Merula reached into her pocket, and pulled out the notebook. She almost dropped it as she flipped it open. The ice that that had obscured her mother's words was gone. She could read it now, the handwriting clear as day.

 _My dearest Merula,_

 _There is so much to tell you, and so little time. I fear I must be brief, for at any moment we will be taken. You are so young now, but I hope someday you will understand. We have decided to renounce He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and we have been working with Jacob against him. Two days after Jacob left to find the Cursed Vaults and the treasure He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has hid inside, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was defeated by little Harry Potter. He is gone, so it appears that Jacob was successful. We can only assume that he was able to unleash the fire in the vault, as he saw in his vision, and destroy the cursed ice, and break He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's hold on life. But we have not been able to reach him._

 _The Aurors are rounding us all up now, and without Jacob we have no proof as to our innocence. I am afraid that we will likely spend our lives in Azkaban paying for the sins we did commit, as well as the ones we didn't. But I want you to know, my dearest daughter, that even though our beginnings were less than honorable, we stood up and we did the right thing in the end. We could not continue to stand by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named after we saw the pain he had caused, the families he had torn asunder, and the hundreds of innocents that he was willing to murder to realize his goals._

 _Merula, being a pureblood means nothing, without kindness and acceptance in your heart. We have learned it the hard way, and we pray that you don't have to. We have found the light in the darkness, and it is you. Our hope is that your path will always, always be in the light._

 _We leave you this letter, and the key Jacob left us, in the hope that when you are older, you can understand, and forgive us. We are so sorry that we may soon have to leave you. Everything we did, we did for you, Merula. So that you can have a better life. We love you._

 _Mum & Dad_

The tears fell freely down her face as the notebook fell to the floor. She gazed up at the ceiling, where the fire had coalesced into a glowing ring, casting soft flickering shadows onto everything.

"Mum," she whispered, "Dad."

It was as if a dam had broken inside her, and she felt all the pain she had locked away long ago come to the surface, bubbling within her. Her very heart was bleeding. She felt her anger at losing her parents, her anger at them for what they had done, and her anger at the world all come together, and she knew in that moment that she could take it, and turn it into joy. She had found her own light. She smiled through her tears and turned around.

"Let's get out of here," she said, extending a hand to the girl.

The girl smiled and took it.

"Thanks, Merula," she said, as she let Merula pull her to her feet. Jacob climbed to his feet as well, and together they stumbled toward the doorway to the corridor, Merula helping the girl along.

There are some things you can't experience together, without becoming friends, and destroying a room full of cursed ice is definitely one of them. So Merula turned to the girl and mumbled sheepishly, "Thanks for everything, Nymphadora."

And Nymphadora rolled her eyes and said, "I hate that bloody name. Call me Tonks."

And together, they left the darkness of the Cursed Vaults behind them.

* * *

 **The writer would like to thank everyone who took the time to read and comment on this story xx**


	4. If I could cast Lumos

**Title:** If only I could cast Lumos

 **Rating:** T

 **Genre:** Humor/ Friendship

 **Penname:** Anonymous at this time

 **Pairing:** Hermione/ Draco

 **Summary:** How do the two brightest students in Hogwarts end up together, in the dark, without their wands? Let's find out.

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

Hermione again tried to move, but it only caused her more pain. She tried to grit her teeth and not show any signs of discomfort. But she failed. With a pitiful whimper.

"Granger, if you don't stop trying to move, your going to injure yourself more." He paused for a moment. "Damnit, it's dark!" The blond boy exclaimed.

She shifted again, the sound of which echoed loudly in the confined space. "It's all your fault we're stuck down here."

"It is not." He replied

"It is, too!" She said loudly. She shifted her body again, and the obvious broken bone in her leg ripped a scream from her lips.

"For Merlin's sake witch, stop moving."

Hermione whimpered, the pain was too much. "I wish I had my wand, but some body had to rush off on me."

"We had to rush off, or we would have been caught!"

"I think I would have rather been caught then stuck in this damn hole with broken leg." Hermione said, pointedly.

"I told you I was sorry for that. I mean, it's not my fault, but I had hoped it would shut you up."

"But it is your fault. I don't know why I even bothered spending any time with you."

Draco, who was pacing in the space away from the injured witch, walked up and got as close as he could, despite not being able to truly see her. "Because you love the danger I pose." He then rubbed the tip of his nose against hers, which caused Hermione to gasp. "Too bad I can't see you. I bet you have the cutest little blush happening right now. And since I'm bringing attention to it, it's probably getting redder and redder…."

"SHUT IT, DRACO!" Hermione was only momentarily happy for the pitch blackness.

"Yes, let's keep screaming, because I'm sure someone is going to hear you soon enough." Draco said, sarcastically.

"How do you expect us to get out here, if we don't make noice to alert anyone of our presence?"

"Whose going to know we are here, Granger?" Hermione only begrudgingly agreed in her head, that he had a point.

"I hate you." Hermione said, pouting.

"No you don't. But I'll let it go, seeing as you are in pain." There was the sound of gravel moving as Draco sat beside Hermione and put his hand on her thigh. "We could always use this little time together." He said suggestively, wagging his eyebrows, even though she couldn't see that. She knew he did it.

"Draco!" She exclaimed, feeling the burn of embarrassment spread across her face.

"What? I'm bored and I bet it will occupy me for a like 15 minutes."

"You're a pig." Hermione huffed.

"Oink, Oink!" He said smoothly. They sat in the quiet for a bit longer, all the while Draco continued to stroke Hermione's thigh, tenderly. "I am sorry you are hurt." He said sincerely. "I really wish…."

"MY BAG!" Hermione yelled, suddenly remembering she had it before the floor gave out and they fell. "Draco I need you to try and find it."

"This is hardly the time for you to be thinking about your purse, Granger."

"Damnit, Draco. Stop being an arse and find my bag. I have undetectable expansion charm on it. I may not have my wand in there, but there may be something in there."

"Bloody Hell, I love your crazy mind!" He said, kissed her forehead. She felt Draco start to crawl away from her, quickly. The sound of the ground being disturbed, made her smile at the thought of the once high and mighty Draco Malfoy crawling on his hands and knees reaching around on the ground, like a cartoon character with glasses, that had fallen off their face. She couldn't help but chuckle.

The shuffling lasted for several minutes, until his hand finally made contact with something made silk and had small beads attached. He breathed a sigh of relief clutched it his chest as he called out "Hermione, I found it."

"Oh thank goodness." Hermione said silently. "Hurry bring it over!"

It appeared it was further away then Draco had anticipated, so he slowly crawled back toward Hermione. Cursing the fact that his slacks were now completely ruined. Not to mentioned the large rip in his shirt, that started at the shoulder and went down toward his chest. He would take the destroyed clothes over being injured himself. He looked up again, but still saw nothing but darkness. The place was old and dilapidated, but who would have guessed the floor would completely cave in under their weight. "Call out again, so I can find you." He said.

"I'm here!" She was closer now. He moved a bit more and bumped into something. "Ouch!"

"Damnit, was it your leg?" He asked, concerned

"No, your knee is crushing my fingers." She said, pained. Draco sighed in relief as he moved his leg back and off her hand.

"Sorry. Here." He pushed the bag in the direction of its owner. Hermione grabbed the bag and quickly started pulling things out. She exclaimed when she found the small plastic tube. Taking it out and with a quick snap a bright green glow came from the little stick. She could see Draco for the first time, what felt like hours. He looked completely disheveled. Hair mussed, scrapes and dirt smudged all over his face, his once crisp white button down shirt now torn and dirty. She could only imagine what her current state was like. She gave him a once over for wounds. But other than a few scrapes, he was ok. "Stop fussing over me, I'm fine. What else do you have in that thing?" He asked as he looked at the pile of books and miscellaneous items she had already pulled out.

"I have quite a bit, but not sure if anything will help us get out of here." She pulled out two more of the sticks and put them in her lap. "This one will only last so long. Well probably need these." She looked further in and found a bottle of pain reliever potion and she almost wept for joy. She handed Draco the glow stick as she threw back the potion. It wasn't enough to take all her pain away, but it would help. "Are you thirsty? I think I have a couple of bottles of water." She rummages more and pulls out the plastic bottles she had that her mother insisted she pack in her trunk, so she would have something when she was up late studying. She twisted off the lid and handed it to Draco, who took it gratefully. He drank it enthusiastically that the bottle crinkled and collapsed. She drank from another bottle. Glad that she had them. She wished there was anything else in there to help them. Then she saw something she most definitely didn't pack. And for once, she was absolutely grateful for the pair of red headed pranksters!

She pulled out the box o' rockets. "Those meddling Weasleys may have just saved our lives." Draco said, while eyeballing the box. Hermione handed the box to Draco while she looked for some matches, she hoped she had some or the box was simply a tease. But she was lucky and found the small box.

"Please tell me you can handle this with setting us on fire?" Draco threw her a condescending stare,

"If you weren't so damn good to snog, I'd leave you here." He said as he set up the rocket away from them and pointed it toward the hole. He struck the match and lit the rocket. It flew up, with a terribly loud whistle and eventually popped in bright shine of light, as the embers rained down. He set up another and shot it off.

"Draco, calm down. You'll catch the place up in flames and that will make this whole situation worst."

"It's fine. That should have been enough to get some attention." He turned around and started to push things back into her bag. "You'll need to teach me that charm, it's brilliant." Hermione smiled at the praise.

They sat for a while staring up into the now smoke filled room above. The light from the glow stick the only thing keeping the darkness at bay. "Draco, did you mean what you said, you know before?"

"Huh? Oh." He turned away, she thought maybe to hide his own flushed face. Then he turned and captured her face in his hands. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." He leaned over, careful not to move her too much and kissed her softly.

There was some loud footsteps from above and then three heads appeared in the opening of the hole.

"Oy, we found them." The half giant said, relieved

"Are you two alright?" The Gryffindor Head asked, worried.

"Do you realize how much trouble you two are in?" The Slytherin Head growled.

"Severus, please." McGonagall said

"I'm fine, But Granger is hurt." Draco shouted up. Both students winced at what kind of punishment Snape had in mind. Hermione only hoped that her own head of house would petition for leniency. A large ladder appeared down in the hole as Hagrid climbed down. He helped Draco climb up and Hagrid gingerly picked Hermione. "Yer okay dar, Hermione?"

" I had a vial of pain reliever. Not enough but it's helping." Once they reached out of the hole. Hermione could see the other two professors' wands alit looking around the room.

"I found it!" Draco said. He lit his wand and waved it proudly. He went over to Hermione. "You doing ok?" She nodded.

"While I hate to disturb this a sweet little moment, but we should get Miss Granger to the hospital wing and find out just why you two needed rescuing." Snape said firmly

"I agree!" McGonagall added.

 **-Lumos-**

Hermione was walking back to her dorm. After staying longer in the Great Hall then she had intended, she had been reading while eating dinner. And got a little too engrossed in her book to realize that the meal had ended. She was walking while reading when she felt someone come up behind her and simultaneously grabbed her waist and slapped a hand over her mouth. She dropped her book, as her captor moved her to an dark alcove. She was only frightened for a moment, until she realized whom had grabbed her.

Once in the dark shadows, he turned Hermione. She stared into his grey eyes and smirked, then slapped him in the arm. "You don't need to sneak up on me like that."

"Of course I do. And don't tell me you don't like it." Draco smirked. Then leaned close and kissed her soundly.

"That's not the point. And you made me drop my book!" She said in a huff.

"You and your books." He rolled his eyes.

"It's getting close to time to return to our dorms. We should…" Hermione started

"And what if I told you wanted to stay out a little longer, with you?" He said as his fingers trailed up and down her back. Hermione flushed at the feeling.

"But what if we get caught?" Hermione said, predictively.

"How about we don't?" He said playfully and kissed her again. They broke away from their kiss when they heard someone coming. Hermione pushed Draco away and started to walk out of the alcove. "Ok, keep quiet I know a place we can hide." Then he took off quickly. Hermione lamented over her forgotten book and chased after Draco. He lead her to a secret passage and they went in.

"Where does this one lead to?" She asked, hating that she didn't have her wand, having left it in her room prior to going to dinner. The only light coming from Draco's wand.

"The shrieking shack. No one will find us there." He turned and gave her a wink. Then grabbed her hand, Hermione adjusted her bag and continued walking behind him.

They finally made their way into the dark and dank abandoned building. And he lead her into one the rooms, and pulled her close and began to snog her more. Hermione, while enjoying his kisses, was distracted about being out and here of all places. "Will you stop, you thinking is ruining the mood."

"Sorry. I just feel…"

"Yes, I know. You don't want to get in trouble. And I bet if it was Potter or Weasel. You'd head right into danger with those two imbeciles." Draco said, trying to hide his hurt pride.

"I would not, I would scold them also."

"But still you would follow. I ask you to come with me for a little uninterrupted time together and you can't." He stomped away from her. She went over and touched his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I want to be here with you too. I guess everyone is right about me being wound too tight." She said looking down.

"Don't. I love you as you are. Worrier and all." He said and grabbed her to kiss her, she could feel his wand against her back as it lit the room. Then there was a crack and another and then the floor gave out. Draco smacked his hand against the floor losing his wand as he tried to hold on to the ledge. Hermione, not thinking of self preservation let go Draco and plummeted straight down. Draco tried to hang from the opening of the hole, but it too fell from his weight. The piece holding him fell on him as he fell and ripped his shirt scratching him as it fell. He landed on his bottom with a grunt. "Hermione?!" He called out. She didn't respond and he became worried. Then he heard a few sniffles. He crawled toward the sound. "Hermione?"

"Draco." She said, he could hear her crying.

"Are you ok?" He asked, knowing he was asking a stupid question, seeing as his witch didn't cry for no reason.

"I'm not… it hurts so much.. Draco." She sounded weak.

He finally found her, but was afraid to touch her. "Where does it hurt?"

"My leg." She sniffled. "I think it's broken."

"I can't see anything. I lost my wand in the fall. If only I could cast Lumos, I could check and try and help."

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 **The writer would like to say a massive thank you for reading and commenting on this story xx**


	5. The Dark Lady

**Title:** The Dark Lady

 **Author:** Anonymous. at this point

 **Genre:** Fanfic

 **Pairing:** Thorfinn Rowle/Hermione Granger

 **Rating:** T

 **Summary:** During the war Hermione is kidnapped by Thorfinn Rowle and Antonin Dolohov. Their orders were to bring her to the dark lord. Voldemort wants Hermione on his side, will she break? Will she stay loyal to the light side? Or will she see that the light side is far more darker then the dark side?

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

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It was dark, cold, and hard. What happened? Where am I? The last thing I remember is running away from death eaters. Is Ron, and Harry okay? Did they escape? Is the order looking for me. I hear loud thuds of footsteps. "Well well look who is finally awake," A dark voice says. "Rowle let the dark lord know she's awake," The voice says. I sit up. I see stone walls, I'm assuming I'm in some type of dungeon. "Why am I here? No matter what type of torture you guys do to me, I will not spill anything," I tell the guy. He just laughs, why is he laughing? "Bring her to the library Dolohov," Rowle says. The door unlocks and I feel a hand grab my wrist pulling me up. He drags me up the stairs and into the library. Voldemort was sitting in the chair. "Have a seat Hermione," He says pointing at a chair. I glare at him as I sit down. "I want you to join me," He says slowly. I start giving a dry laugh. "I'll never join you," I spat. "My lord let me teach the mudblood a lesson," Bellatrix glares. "No one is to harm the mudblood," Voldemort says. "Take her to the left tower Rowle, that's where she will be staying. If anyone tries to harm her, I will find out and there will be consequences," Voldemort says. The blonde guy grabs my arm and starts taking me through different halls. "Hermione, one last thing. The light side doesn't care about, they never have. They only use you for your smarts," Voldemort tells me. "You'll tell me anything you think I want to hear to get me to join huh?" I say before turning around and following the blonde guy.

It was a quiet walk to the tower. "You'll have the bedroom in the middle. Dolohov is on the left, I'm on the right," The Blonde guy says softly. I look up at him. "You know Finn, I never thought you'd become a death eater, but I guess life's full of disappointments," I say softly. "Wait you remember me?" He asks just as I shut the door. Of course I remember my first heartbreak, my first crush. The first person to show me not every Slytherin is bad. I sigh and look around the room, it was a decent size, a dark grey, with grey and black bedding and furniture. There was a knock, I get up and open the door. "Thor wanted me to tell you the bathroom is this door right here, and it's not shared or anything," Dolohov said. "Thanks, I guess," I respond. "Listen, there will be some people who uh try to go against the dark lord's orders, which is why myself and Rowle are on either side of you, if anyone tries anything let one of us know," He says before walking out and shutting the door. Why are they all being friendly? Where is the violent death eater, Dolohov is made out to be? I shake my head and walk into the bathroom, stripping out of my dirty clothes and making sure the water is the right temperature I get in. The hot water felt great on my tensed muscles. Why would Voldemort want me to join him? What would he gain from this? I sigh as I wash the dirt and muck off of my skin. More importantly why am I living like a human and not in the cells. I scrub my skin with the soap and rinse it off. I lather the shampoo into my hair and let it sit for a few minutes. I get out and dry off before getting dressed. I head back to the room and get into the bed. Ah this bed is so soft, way better than sleeping on the ground or in the dungeon. Maybe tomorrow I can ask Voldemort why he is treating me like a normal person.

I wake up when I hear a knock on the door. "Granger are you awake?" Draco asks. "I am now, what do you want?" I ask sitting up. "I'm suppose to bring you down for breakfast," He tells me. I groan standing up and following him down the stairs. "Not a morning person, kitten?" Dolohov asks. I glare at him as I follow Draco. I sit down next to Draco and his mom. Am I really sitting at a table with a bunch of death eaters? I get a glare from Bellatrix, should I glare back? Should I just leave it be? I decided to just leave it be. Rowle and Dolohov are talking and looking at me, I glare at the both of then. "You know Ms. Granger, Draco's talked a lot about you," Lucius says. I look across the table at him. "All good things of course, I mean I will not lie I was a bit surprised when I found out a muggle born was the first in his class," He tells me. "Mr. Malfoy, I am a bit of a know it all, but with me being a muggle born and not knowing about the magical world, I wanted to be as prepared as possible. So I wouldn't be so behind and clueless to a pureblood," I tell him taking a drink of my tea. Voldemort comes into the dinning area. "Good everyone is here. I would like to tell you all why I want Hermione on our side. As many of you know, she is brilliant, very intelligent. If it wasn't for her, Harry Potter would be dead," He says. "Why would I help you? You and your followers have been trying to kill me since I was in year four," I say. "Because the light side doesn't care for you. No one is looking for you. You may think they are but they're really not,' Voldemort tells me.

All of sudden, there was a bunch of images going around in my head. The first memory was when I first met Thorfinn. The next was the first time he kissed me. They kept going until one memory came up, I fought to get Voldemort out but I just couldn't block him out. Not even five seconds later he had pulled out. "Interesting," He says looking at me. I look down at my plate. "I'd like to speak to you privately," He tells me, motioning me to follow him. I stand up pushing my chair back in before following him. We talk to the library, and sit in the chairs. "So you and Rowle?" He asks. I look down at my feet. "It's nothing, h-h-he made his choices that night," I reply softly. "Did you know your adopted?" He asks. I nod my head looking up at him. "Do you know who your parents are?" He asks. "I uh asked Dumbledore before, and he refused to tell me. Saying it wouldn't do me any good to know because they didn't want me, because I was born a female," I tell him. "That's a lie, that old man doesn't know anything, he came into my house, and took my daughter from she would be a weakness later on. You have never been a weakness. Your mother and I are proud of you," He replies. "You can't be my dad, you just can't be. You have been trying to kill me, FOR YEARS! Why would you try to kill your own kid?" I snap before standing up and walking away. I go up to my room and sit on the bed, bringing my feet to my chest and crying. I can't be his kid, I just can't be.

I was sitting in the chair at the window reading a book, when there was a knock on my door. "Come in," I tell whoever is out in the hall. "Hey, can we talk?" Thorfinn asks. I nod my head and motion to the chair next to me. He sits next to me and looks at the window. "You know he's right in a way. They're not looking for you. They don't even care that you are technically missing. Dolohov and I have been stalking out their movements. There's been no talk or anything about looking for you or anything like that. Just think about it Hermione. You would do brilliant with us, we all take care of each other," Thor says before standing up. I nod my head. 'Did you tell him about me being adopted Rowle?" I ask. "Of course not, why would I break my promise?" He asks looking hurt. "He knows I'm adopted and is trying to tell me im his daughter, that was kidnapped by Dumbledore," I reply softly looking out the window. "The only person that I told was Dolohov," He replies before storming out of the room with a mad expression. I look out the window when I hear yelling. Of course that's what he was going to go do. I get up and walk down the hall. "Thor, take me to him. I want to speak with him," I say looking at the ground. He stops yelling at Dolohov, then nods before walking down the halls of the manor. We reach a door and Thor knocks. "Hermione would like to speak with you my lord," He says. "She may enter," He replies. I open the door before walking in and shutting it. "Can, can you prove your my dad, and can you prove that no one's looking for me?" I ask. "I can prove both, which would you like to see first?" He asks slowly. "The no one looking for me," I tell him straight away. He nods before calling for Thor and Antonin, both walk in at the same time. "Do you know how to use the legilimency?" He asks. I nod my head before I enter Antonin's mind.

" **Shush Rowle there they are," Dolohov says pointing at Harry and Ron. They were walking down the street. "She finally got what she deserved, Dumbledore set up her getting kidnapped perfectly," Ron tells Harry. Harry nods in agreement. "No Rowle, do-"**

"Sorry love couldn't have you seeing that," Antonin sheepishly says. I nod my head. "I'm assuming yours will be close to the same?" I ask Thor. He nods. I look at Voldemort who raises his wand and performs a spell I wasn't sure about. There was two lines that came up and they matched. My mouth drops, I'm his daughter? Me, mudblood Granger? "You're not a mudblood, you are a pureblood," I was told. "I can't be," I reply. "You are my dear," He says. "Who is my mother?" I ask looking up at him. "She was killed the night we got raided, but she was beautiful, you look just like her," He tells me with a almost non visible smile. "I have some business to take care of dear, Rowle would you keep her company for the day?" He says. Thofinn nods. "Do think about joining," Voldemort tells me before walking away. "Let's go up to my room to talk," I tell him standing up. We walk to my room and sit in the chairs by the windows. "So what are you going to do kitten?" Thor asks. I glare at him for using the pet name. "Maybe I should join, it seems like the right thing to do, and no one on the light side seems to care that I'm gone anyway," I shrug looking out the window.

"Whatever you do, I'll stand behind you, as well as your dad," He tells me softly. I nod my head. "I'll sleep on it," I tell him. He nods before saying, "That's all you can do." I look at him. "He saw that night, some of it anyway," I tell him. "I know," He replies. He grabs his arm wincing. 'I gotta go Kitten," He says before disapprating. I sigh looking at the window. I had so much to think about. Do I join them? Do I stay not caring who wins? Do I wanna see my actual father die? I crawl into bed not caring what time it was. I lay for hours it seems staring at the ceiling, before I finally fell asleep.

I awake when a pop comes into my room. "Hello kitten get ready for breakfast," He tells me with soft grin. I nod before following him to the dining room. I take my seat next to Voldemort, taking a deep breath I look into his eyes and say, "I will join you. I have big plans on how to help you win."

 ****To be continued****

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The writer would like to thank you for reading and commenting on this fic xxx


	6. Bright

**Title:** Bright

 **Rating:** T

 **Writer** : Anonymous at this time

 **Pairing:** Draco/Luna - not explicitly stated in story **Characters:** Draco, Luna, Bellatrix, Voldemort, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger

 **Genre:** Romance, Angst

 **Summary:** Two people find each other, both think the other is the brightest thing in their life but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy being together.

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

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Throughout it all, she had remained positive, bubbly and bright. The most perfect thing in this world of imperfect and that included any of her flaws for those did not matter to him. It was through her dazzling light that he got through the darkness of the war, her single shining beacon drawing him in to safety. She represented everything good in his life and he would be damned sure he made it through this so he could spend just one more moment with her.

Out of all the dark things, surrounded by it all he was a glimmer of light unseen by most. He made her smile, he didn't call her names like the others. He showed compassion and that above all things is what drew her to him. It was something lacking in those around him and it made him stand out. It wasn't easy of course but when are things ever easy, it was worth it all though, to her.

It was coming, the final decider was here and everyone could feel the energy running rampant in the air. It was palpable just like his nerves were as he tried in vain to sleep. However everytime his eyes closed his vision was wrought with images of his family dungeons, the witches and wizards held down there until recently and the train-wreck that was their escape.

He had tried his best to feed them while the Dark Lord was away, to ensure that as little wrath as possible reached them. It didn't seem to do much good but still he tried, he feigned ignorance to his aunt. Trying to protect Potter, Weasley and the Granger girl.

Still she got hurt, Bellatrix going at her relentlessly, not to mention the elf, Dobby. He felt bad about his ending, he knew that his special one like him, she would be sad. She got out though with the others and that was the important thing.

His aunt was furious but it wasn't much different to normal, when wasn't she yelling and cursing at one person or another. There was a bit of trouble given out amongst those present, the snatchers and his family. What was different about that though, it seemed his family were regularly on the bad side of the Dark Lord.

So why was tonight's dreams worse than usual, why did it feel like he was about to be suffocated by impending doom. A trip to the medicine cabinet was required, if he wanted his plan to work tomorrow some sleep was necessary. For sleep to be achieved some dreamless sleep was necessary.

Before reaching into the cabinet he looked at his reflection, there were dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. His hair hung limp with sweat, it wasn't isolated to there though, his pyjamas uncomfortably damp as well. Taking the recommended dose he heads back to his room divulging himself of the damp pyjamas and replacing them with fresh ones before settling back down under his cover. Sleep pulling him under within seconds of closing his eyes, the rest of the boys dormitory slept on.

She had been at shell cottage for a while now, since the event at Malfoy Manor. They didn't want to risk her going back to Hogwarts given her families background and standing combined with some of the current teaching faculty. It was actually really peaceful there, the rich smell of the ocean breeze, the soft bed and warm blanket instead of the cold concrete floor. She couldn't deny it was a nice change that she was thankful for.

Bill and Fluer Weasley were gracious hosts who were always cooking something delicious similar to Molly when she had briefly stayed at the Burrow two years ago. A lot had changed since then but her heart felt the same surprisingly. It had fluttered around the thought for a while before landing on the conclusion it had.

It was late, the other guests were relaxing after dinner but she was walking along the beach. Her feet in the water sinking through the sand and her eyes on the constellations above. One of the last nights spent with him they had walked a different shore but still looked up at the stars in the night sky talking. A time that seemed just as far away as the stars above.

Before long though it had been time to go back to the castle as the dawn started to come. Then things went haywire, he had others things to do and so did she. Her friends needed her and she made sure she was there for them through everything that lead them to right now and the edge of the storm that was about to strike. Sighing she headed back to the cottage, preparing for bed and the tremendously important day ahead.

She was lost to him in the chaos, the feel of her presence there, always there but diminished by the mass of other living souls in the castle. He wished she had stayed away truthfully but it wasn't his choice to make. He knew her, if he had said as much to her she would laugh at him in her fond, lighthearted way and say that she had to do her part. He would wish otherwise but it was part of what made her who she was and he loved who she was.

She was something else, she had a way of perceiving what others missed but not being malicious with her knowledge. He didn't think being malicious was within her capabilities, she could be fierce and protective in a battle but malicious she was not.

It was like a breath of fresh pure mountain air, he'd worship the ground she walked on if that's what it took to be with her but of course she wasn't one for that kind of behaviour either. She just wanted honesty, compassion and acceptance. He would give her anything,do anything for her, to keep her safe because she was his saviour.

Now he just wanted the violence, bloodshed and lunacy to end. He hoped Potter really was the chosen one, that he really could pull this off. Actually he hoped he could pull it off, he had to survive this night without being killed by people on both sides of the war.

There was very few who he trusted not to attack him outright and after tonight that list may get shorter. Right now he had to stop Crabbe and Goyle from injuring the trio in the room of requirement let alone what they might do to themselves. If he could just ensure that the trio got out of there OK he could maintain his hope.

They were trying to get out when Crabbe unleashed a foolish fiendfyre. It raged through the room, quickly engulfing all the things piled up in the room. All the things collected in here over the years providing ample fuel for the magical fire to grow larger and more ferocious by the second.

A person on a broom flew across his vision. It was Granger and Weasley on an old broom obviously taken from one of the piles of things, reaching a hand out to him, lifting him onto the back and away from the flames. Potter was on another broom with Goyle and down below he saw Crabbe being overwhelmed by his own creation.

A sense of bitterness and despair and the situation people of a mere seventeen if not younger found themselves in. How could his fellow Slytherins follow such principles and ideals when it resulted in things like this, one of their own dying in their stupid attempts to bring about a madmans rule. A madman that barely treated his followers better than his foes. It was nearing midnight and he wondered what Potter would do when that time came.

She had been signalled that Harry, Ron and Hermione were back at Hogwarts by Neville and had promptly returned. When Harry and asked about Ravenclaws Diadem she was quick to offer assistance and took Harry to the Ravenclaw common room to show him the replica inside. She hadn't doubted there would be someone waiting but if she could help Harry she would gladly take that risk.

Despite all that was going on around them she still had a skip to her step as she lead the way. It was grim circumstances but she was glad she was surrounded by her friends once again, the recreated Dumbledores Army prepared to assist the Order in the Battle of Hogwarts.

Reaching the door, the eagle knocker asks its question "What came first, the Phoenix or the flame?".

Calm responding "A circle has no beginning" the door opens before them, they pull their wands out automatically casting Protego just as the first curse shoots their direction. Shouts of Stupefy, Expelliarmus and Incarcerous get sent at Alecto Carrow who had been waiting like expected. Also dealing with her brother when Mcgonnagal and him showed up, Harry getting extremely protective when Amycus spat at Minerva.

After getting a good look at the diadem they returned to the the room of requirement to wait for Ron and Hermione to return while the rest of Dumbledores Army left the room to go to the main front while the trio finished their search. Following closely with Ginny after wishing the others good luck they made their way down to the Great Hall to help defend the castle for as long as possible.

All the way down, despite being on guard for incoming Death Eaters, she couldn't help but check if any of the faces were his. She knew he was here, whispers of his name reached her ears amongst the drone of voices asking if someone was OK and what should they do now. The countdown to midnight was slow, tense and torturous as fear showed its ugly head, there was more than one person contemplating giving Harry up to Voldemort. The fighting continued with Harry still with them, continuing his hunt for Horcruxes while they held back the death eaters and others on Voldemorts side.

It was during the uncomfortable but needed break in the fighting when there was word that Harry had walked into the Forbidden Forest most were shocked and at least a little worried. She knew he wouldn't have gone if he didn't think it was the right thing to do, she just hoped everyone else would maintain the same level of faith in Harry as she had.

Nervously they waited for whatever was coming next, grief for those already gone was present but so was this sickly grief for the unknown, those that were not yet lost but may very well be by the end of the night. Even those injured and being treated were in a constant state of readiness as another fight felt inevitable despite Voldemort having given them an hour to rest and Harry having gone to him within that time.

They were waiting strewn in front of the entrance doors and in the Great Hall when it happened, there was Hagrid walking forward carrying what was unmistakably a body. Several screams of horror, denial, anger and agony directed at Voldemort and his death eaters could be heard at the realisation that there was his trademark shaggy black hair on that body. The fire of hope diminished in some, burning fiercely in others as Hagrid carried his body as he walked behind Voldemort as he came forward from his wall of death eaters with Nagini wrapped around him callously celebrating the death of Harry Potter.

Her own shocked yelp came out along with those from Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville around her. Voldemort tried silencing them, it was broken by a yell from Ron as Hagrid was forced to lay Harry at his feet. He tried silencing them again, more yells from the crowd broke through, again and again until Neville surged forward showing loyalty to Harry. The crowd gathering volume as he refused Voldemort.

His crucial act of defiance came after Voldemort taunted the end of the houses and tried burning the sorting hat on top of Nevilles head. Neville withdrew the sword of Gryffindor and lunged forward swinging in an arc, lopping off the head Nagini.

At the same time Hagrids half brother Grawp had come charging from the side of the castle followed by the centaur herd, arrows flew and people scrambled to action. All the while she had been searching the faces on either side for him, to make sure her light hadn't disappeared or worse gone out. As the crowds swarmed on the grounds and back into the castle there were spells flying, yelling and confusion as Harrys body had seemingly disappeared yet her main priorities were staying alive and finding him.

Into the fray she went, spell after spell fired at the surrounding death eaters as even the house elves from the kitchens joined in the fighting. Just before she got into a fight against Bellatrix alongside Ginny and Hermione she a mother and a father frantically looking for their son, paying no attention to anything else around them.

Harry Potter had been declared dead and he was stuck on the side he didn't want to be, looking at the back of Lord Voldemort as he crowed about his victory and how worthless Potter was. He hated it, it made him want to be sick at the mere thought of a future with him being overlord.

Those on the other side were just as pleased, out cries of rage and sorrow heard above Voldemorts taunts. Attempts at silencing them seemed futile. That made him smile just a little.

Then Neville Longbottom spoke up above the rest, coming forward and standing up to the memory of Harry Potter. Once again Voldemort tried to quell the hope of him, body binding him and burning the sorting hat on his head.

Even more surprisingly he broke out of it, pulled the fricking sword of Gryffindor put of the sorting hat and chopping the head off of that wretched snake Voldemort had as his pet. Simultaneously a herd of centaurs led by the small giant Hagrid had kept in the Forbidden Forest charged towards the Death Eaters and company from around the castle.

It was chaos, spells started firing and bodies swarmed. Amidst it all the body of Harry Potter moved. He ran towards the castle and it's allure of finding her without a second thought.

Bellatrix wasn't a Death Eater for nothing, she knew how to duel. Keeping up with the three of them quite well. Then she took her shot, firing at Ginny with lethal intent. She missed and before we could fire back we were shoved aside by Molly Weasley angrily shouting at Bellatrix, "Not my daughter you bitch!" then the duel commenced.

There was no helping her, she refused to let anyone but her fight Bellatrix. Taunts were thrown back and forth but as Bellatrix let out a laugh it turned out to be her last. Mollys spell hit and Bellatrix halted before toppling to the ground.

Voldemort let out a scream, the crowds a cheer. With a furious swish of his wand he threw back those he was facing before turning on Molly with a venomous stare. Before his spell could hit her though appearing from thin air Harry sent a shield charm protecting Molly.

Just like the majority of people in the Great Hall she couldn't help but let out a joyous cry at the sight of Harry alive and well. It felt like everything stood still as she watched Harry walk to confront a stunned Voldemort.

Potter had really done it, he had defeated Lord Voldemort. Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall afterwards, mourning the lost and finding their loved ones. His parents had found him not long before and the three of them were huddled together in a corner trying their best not to draw attention to themselves.

The fight may have been over but that didn't change how the majority of people viewed those from their house. Especially after the fiasco Pansy caused before. So he sat and talked to his mother while keeping and eye out for her.

His father was quite, for that he was glad. He had no time for a man who would let such things happen to their family. Even his mother seemed to be keeping her distance from him.

Then he spotted her, was it just his mind or was she searching for him. She locked eyes with him and quickly walked toward him. Standing up he moves to meet her, pure happiness must be what this is.

She had survived and found her way to him. Holding each other close they knew there where brighter days to come now that their lights had returned to each other.

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The writer would like to thank you for reading and commenting on this story xx


	7. Light in the dark presents

**Title:** Light into the Darkness presents: Luna Lovegood and Grahaman Montague

 **Rating:** T

 **Writer:** Anonymous at this time

 **Pairing:** Luna Lovegood and Graham Montague

 **Characters:** Luna, Montague, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Harry, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and Sir Nicholas, with mention of Fred, George, Draco, Neville, and Pansy.

 **Genre:** romance.

 **Summary:** Luna and Montague connect and become close, their original goal is to better Montague, but is that what happens? You'll have to read on.

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

In April of 1996, Fred and George Weasley pushed Graham Montague's head through the vanishing cabinet. He was stuck there for several weeks. Lucky for him Luna Lovegood found him one evening. She was trying to hide a mysterious necklace that she had found. When she found him, he was close to losing consciousness, he was barely aware that anyone was there with him. Luna did her best to keep him calm while she figured out how to get help, afraid to leave because she wasn't sure the room of requirements would open again.

"It's okay Montague, I'll figure something out, I will find a way to get you out of here," she said calmly. "If it makes you feel any better there is a Wracksprut flying around which is why you are having problems, I'll take care of everything," she said trying to comfort him.

Suddenly the idea came to her, she dug through her pocket and found her DA coin. She put in the date, May 2, 1996, and sent it to Hermione. Intrigued by the burning of the coin in her pocket, Hermione proceeded to the room of requirements, unable to open it with the normal DA thoughts, she knew something must be up, she tried for several minutes to enter the room but was unable too. Quickly thinking as Hermione does she pulled out her DA coin and sent May 2 back to Luna.

Luna felt the coin burn in her pocket, at first, she was frustrated by the fact that it was a repeat of what she sent. In a very un-Luna like fashion out of frustration she kicked over a large stack of books. She took a deep breath to calm down and realized that maybe Hermione had gotten her message and was unable to enter the room.

"Of course!" Luna said, "Hermione wouldn't know how to access the room if we are in here for a separate reason." Luna thought hard to herself "I need the door to open for Hermione, I need the door to open for Hermione, I need the door to open for Hermione,"

Suddenly the door opened and Hermione fell in.

"Luna!" Hermione said, "What is going on? Were you stuck in here?" she asked.

"No, I was afraid to leave, I couldn't leave him here by himself again!" Luna replied.

"Who?" Hermione asked as she started at the back end of Montague.

"It's Graham…Graham Montague…he somehow got stuck in the cabinet, he's not doing well, I'm not even sure if he's awake at this point. I don't know how long he's been in here, or how much longer he can survive, please help me get him out!" Luna pleaded.

Hermione pondered for a minute, "Luna this is above me, I don't know that I will be able to get him out without causing further harm…I'll go get help, but you might want to hide, if they find you in here with him they might get suspicious.

"I'm not leaving him Hermione, I can't you just don't understand!" Luna said, she was crying.

"Okay okay, I'll make sure the right person finds him," Hermione said and she ran out of the room.

"Please Graham, please be okay, I'm sorry for everything, just be okay and I'll make it all right" she was pleading with him. However, Montague had been silent for several minutes, he wasn't even grunting.

Luna started sobbing uncontrollably. Suddenly Hermione came back with Professor McGonagall. "Stand aside Luna!" Professor McGonagall shouted. Luna looked up and moved away quickly. Professor McGonagall was able to remove Montague from the cabinet but he was in grave danger, his skin was pale and he was barely breathing.

"I must get him to the hospital wing immediately, Luna, meet me in my office, Ms. Granger please let Professor Snape know that he has been found," Professor McGonagall ordered.

Hermione ran out of the room, Luna still in shock slowly made her way to Professor McGonagall's office, she sat quietly and waited her return.

Professor McGonagall came into her office, looking more stern than Luna had ever seen her. Luna gulped.

"Professor please…" Luna began to say.

"You better have a very good explanation Ms. Lovegood," Professor McGonagall said.

Luna sighed "I was trying to hide something that I'm sorry to say I was partially ashamed of, and I found Graham, er...Montauge in the cabinet when I went into the room. I don't know how he got there or how long he had been there, I knew I couldn't safely get him out without causing further damage, but I was also certain I may never find the room he was in again either, as it was a corridor I had never been in.." Luna said.

"How is it then that you contacted Ms. Granger?" McGonagall said coldly.

"I was suppose to meet Hermione in the library she was going to help me study for my upcoming exams, as I'm sure you are aware my grades have not been up to standard lately...anyways I wanted to hide my object before meeting with her, I ran into er well through Sir Nicholas on my way to find somewhere to hide my item, and I asked him if he saw Hermione to please let her know I would be there soon. Nick must have seen me enter the mystery room and when I did not reappear he found Hermione, she is the brightest witch of her age you know?" Luna said, making a mental note to pass this information on to Hermione and Nick.

"Very well, you are dismissed for now, but if I catch you stepping one more toe out of line, I will go to your head of house and Professor Dumbledore, do you understand?" McGonagall said sternly.

"Yes ma'am," Luna replied and left the office. Once out of sight she hurried up to the Gryffindor tower.

"Please I need to see Hermione," she pleaded with the fat lady.

"No password, no entrance, and you do not belong in this house!" the fat lady replied clearly annoyed.

Luna sunk to the floor, just then Harry and Ron came up the stairs.

"Er, Luna...what are you doing here?" Harry asked trying not to sound to skeptical.

"Please Harry, I need to talk to Hermione right away," Luna said urgently.

"I'll go in and check for her," said Ron with a smirk on his face.

Just then Hermione and Ginny came out of the portrait hole.

"Luna, we were just coming to find you, I think you have some explaining to do," Hermione said.

"I do, but please can the three of us go somewhere? I promise I'll tell you everything, " Luna said.

"Why should we believe you? You haven't been honest about anything. You have been distant for months, lurking around, we've seen you with Slytherin, and Cho even told us she heard you murmuring about dark arts," said Ginny sharply, she was obviously hurt.

" I will tell you everything, the entire truth, I promise, but please not here, not in front of them, I'm to ashamed," Luna replied tears were building in her eyes.

"Fine we will give you 10 minutes" said Ginny, "we will see you lot soon," she said to Harry and Ron.

Luna, Hermione, and Ginny went to the empty classroom on the third floor. Hermione shut and locked the door.

"What has been going on Luna?" she asked, more kindly than normal.

"I fell in love with Montague, we met on the train in September, just briefly before Neville came into the car. He thought I was funny and showed an interest in the Quibbler, I thought at first he was just making fun of me, but then some girls went past and called me Loony Luna, he told them to knock it off or he would have Pansy knock them out, we talked for several minutes, then Draco and his lot came in, they looked intrigued and started to make fun of me but Graham stopped them. He got up and walked our of the car, but gave me a smile and nod." Luna sighed for a minute.

"You're in love with thay KEEP? HE'S IN SLYTHERIN, HE'S GARBAGE!" Ginny said.

"He's not though, at least he wasn't. After classes on the first day he asked me to meet him in the courtyard he wanted to talk more and get to know me better. No one has ever wanted to get to know me better so I agreed. And we sat and talked for hours, we instantly just clicked. Everything just felt right. After that we met as often as we could, in between classes, on weekends, we would just go and talk, sometimes we'd just sit quietly, and enjoyed the others company. He told me about his family, and how he wanted to be better than them. I told him about my mom, and that I just wanted to make her proud...as time went on I started feeling more comfortable around him and his Slytherin friends then I did with those in Ravenclaw. I stopped doing my weird quirky things, and I could feel myself changing. I started becoming infatuated with the dark arts. We would spend hours talking about them. Instead if Graham doing better than his parents I was pushing him down the same path. I didn't realize the damage I was doing until we started talking about Harry and you lot. Graham admitted to me that I would never hear a Slytherin question if You Know Who was really back, because they all knew he was. A lot of their parents had been there the night he rose...the night Cedric was killed, the night we almost lost Harry again. At first this intrigued me, I had become so involved with learning about the dark arts, all I saw was darkness. Then I heard Ginny telling a group about the possibility of DA, I shared what I knew with Graham, and we formulated a plan, I would join, but it would be to spy on you all. I was going yo relay the information to him and he would pass all the information onto the appropriate people...he was certain if we could uncover some big secret we would be rewarded greatly. So I met you lot at the hogs head, it was the first I had been away from Montague outside of lessons in months, and I realized what I had become. Ginny you wouldn't even look at me, I knew I'd have to earn your trust back, and I've tried. I promise I haven't passed any DA information onto them. It's actually why Graham and I stopped speaking. At first I tried to get him to come with me, to see that we didn't need the Dark arts, we had a huge row after that, and then slowly started drifting apart. We hadn't spoken in weeks, i thought he was just avoiding me, and then I found him today in that cabinet, and I just lost it." Luna stopped she was crying.

Hermione and Ginny were quiet for a few minutes, Hermione finally spoke, "Answer one thing for me...what were you doing in the room of requirements today then?" she asked.

Luna was quiet for a minute she closed her eyes. "Graham gave me a necklace for Christmas, right after he told me that he loved me. I still remember it like it was yesterday. We had just finished a snow ball fight and we were sitting in the court yard and he told me I was beautiful, and that he loves me, and he gave me the most beautiful necklace I had ever seen. I wore it proudly, but I knew that if I were to get back to me, i had to do away with everything that reminded me of him, so I was going to hide it, and then I saw him...I knew it was my fault, I pushed him deeper into the darkness, and now I might lose him forever, " Luna was sobbing now.

Ginny got up and hugged Luna, "It's okay we will figure it all out," she told her.

"The worst part is, Hermione I need you to lie for me" Luna said in between sobs.

Hermione looked at Luna, " what do you need?" she asked calmly.

Luna told her the story she fed Professor McGonagall. As she finished she added "I lied to protect the DA, please believe me, " Luna begged.

"We believe you Luna," Ginny and Hermione both said.

"You should go to the hospital wing and see Montague" Ginny said.

"I want to but he doesn't want to see me," Luna replied.

"You never know until you try " said Hermione.

Luna knew they were right, she went to the hospital wing and sat with Montague for hours. He was in and out of consciousness but Madam Pompfrey promised her that it was normal.

The next several weeks Luna spent every waking moment in the hospital wing, she helped feed Montague, she read him articles from the Quibbler, she made goofy jokes. One afternoon Draco and his group of goons came in.

"Hey Loony Lovegood! I thought we told you to leave Montague alone! Your not his type and you're definitely not worthy of him!" Malfoy spat.

Montague sat up "I told you not to call her Loony, and for the record she is more worthy than you, she's been by my side for weeks, where have you lot been? Now get out!" he said to them, as he reached and held Luna's hand.

At that time Ginny came into the hospital wing holding Luna's necklace, "I thought you might want this back," she said.

Luna smiled. The light and the darkness evened each other out.

 _Everything was good at least for now..._

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 **The writer would like to say thank you for reading and commenting on this story xx**


	8. Secret Light

**Story name:** Secret lights

 **Rating:** T

 **Writer:** Anonymous at this point

 **Genre:** Angst/Romance

 **Pairing:** Roderva (Rodolphus x Minerva

 **Characters:** Minerva McGonagall, Rodolphus Lestrange

 **Summary:** Minerva McGonagall and Rodolphus Lestrange have a secret relationship during the war. She is his light in the darkness that is being a death eater. He is her light in life. Will the light remain? Or the Darkness take control?

 **To KR; you are literally the best human to walk the face of the planet. Thank you so much for your endless support and the constant help; and for putting up with all my stupid newbie questions! I'm happy with what we've achieved!**

 **I would like to acknowledge that all of the writers know that the Harry Potter characters, locations and any plot lines used are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

 **September 1, 1954**

 _Rodolphus sat in the Prefects carriage at the front of the train, Minerva McGonagall sitting across from him. Noises flowed around them, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. They had been friends in secret for years now, their houses and families not agreeing with the company they chose to keep. Rodolphus had started to develop feelings for her in the previous year and he hoped she felt the same._

 _His family had tried to build ties with the Black family in the summer holidays and Bellatrix, the middle of the three sisters, had been incessant in her obsession to be around him. But he didn't want to be tied to her. eyes and heart only had one person who could light them up._

 _He aimed to change their relationship this year._

 **oOo**

 **January 14, 1996**

Minerva looked at the Prophet in front of her. _MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN_ shouted at her from the front page. Her worst fear and best dream had been realised. Rodolphus had escaped. She shouldn't be happy that Death Eaters had escaped. It was her worst nightmare because what if people found out, _what if Bellatrix found out_? But it was also her best dream because the man she loved was out of that hell hole. He wasn't who everyone thought he was and no one had listened when she had tried to inform them of this.

 _She knew he wasn't because they had talked about it the night before everything had gone down._

 **oOo**

 **October 12, 1981**

 _Minerva had met him in their usual hideaway in Diagon Alley, he had looked sombre and withdrawn. war and the pressure to be the man his family and wife forced him to be was taking its toll._

 _Kissing her softly under the rain before moving past her into the apartment, Rodolphus breathed in the calming scent that was her perfume and felt himself instantly relax into his surroundings. No more wearing the mask of indifference and hiding his loyalties._

" _Cup of Chamomile before we get comfortable?" Minerva's soft voice drifted to him from the other side of the room. Her hands clenching and her breathing erratic, she was nervous. The war was heightening and coming to a climax and neither knew how it was going to end._

 _Walking over to where she stood, he wrapped his arms around her, "Calm down and breathe, love. Everything is going to be okay."_

" _You can't say that. You can't see the future and know that we are both going to come out of this alive." She whispered the words, as if saying them aloud would give them life._

" _Let's come up with a signal now, one that will let the other know, even if we can't see one another, that we are okay." he suggested._

 _Keeping her hands busy by making tea for the two of them, "Like what?"_

" _How's about a bit of parchment folded like a bird? No one will figure out it's from us to each other, but it will allow us a peace of mind."_

" _That sounds perfect. Roddy?" she practically pleaded._

" _Yes, love?"_

" _Promise me that you won't put yourself in any danger intentionally?" she begged him, worried about his safety being a Death Eater in this time._

" _I never do, anything you see me doing is completely out of my control."_

" _What do you mean by that? You can't possibly be saying what I think you're saying." she said sounding appalled at the very thought._

" _Whenever I go out on a mission I'm under either his control or my dear wife's control." he explained, grimacing._

" _Rodolphus! You can't go back, we will go to Dumbledore and get you help!" she exclaimed in horror._

" _I have to go back, the dark mark isn't only used to call you to him, it can be used to torture you or locate you. I can't, no, I won't put you in that kind of danger, my sweet Minerva. Now, let us enjoy tonight for, it is the last time I will see you for a month." he begged of her as he led her to the den to sit on the couch._

 _Little did they realise this would be the last time they saw one another for over a decade. Cuddling up to one another they took comfort and strength from each other to continue going on as they were._

 **oOo**

 **June 1, 1996**

Minerva headed back to her office, not feeling like being around the other Professors bad mouthing the escapees all day. Sitting behind her desk distractedly, she didn't notice the bird at first. It wasn't until Hermione Granger came knocking on her door with an assignment that wasn't due until later in the term that it was noticed.

"I noticed you left breakfast early and thought I could get this to you before class, so I don't distract your flow." Hermione smiled, looking at the piles of parchment on the desk that was left ungraded she felt slightly bad adding more to it.

"Thank you dear, I was wanting to have my cup of tea privately while I did some grading." Not wanting to say she didn't want to be around the masses and make the girl feel even guiltier than she was currently looking.

Hermione walked over to the desk and bent over. Picking something up she asked, "Did you make this, Professor? It's very pretty."

Looking at what her favourite student was holding, she gasped, "No. It was made for me by someone."

Smiling inwardly, knowing he still thought of giving her their signal that he was okay made her feel slightly better. Dismissing Hermione after reassuring her it was perfectly okay she had interrupted her, she sat back at her desk and held the bird to her chest, hoping she would see him soon. Even if it was a small glimpse, it was all she needed after all these years of loneliness.

 **oOo**

 **September 1, 1954**

" _Minerva, please. Can we talk?" Rodolphus asked. They had been back at school for three weeks and she had been avoiding them. After the start of term feast and Bellatrix Lestrange telling her about the engagement and she had gotten moody. He couldn't understand why she was pushing him away, but he didn't like it._

" _Why? Why do we need to talk? I've seen how you feel. I don't need to be around you. I have my Gryffindors. You have your Slytherins." She said trying to walk away._

" _What do you mean how I feel?"_

" _About her." She stated in a clipped tone._

" _Bellatrix? You've got to be kidding me? You're jealous? That's why you've been acting like this?" He said. Laughter in his voice. When she scowled at him and went to turn away he sobered. "No, Minerva. Please. I didn't know you felt the same way!"_

 _Spinning around Minerva looked up into his brown eyes, "The same way?"_

" _Yes. The same way. I've had feelings for you for over a year. My family organised the marriage without any input from me." He said, gazing into her eyes, imploring her to listen._

" _Oh. What do we do?" Minerva asked._

" _I know what I want us to do. But I don't know if you will go for it." He replied._

" _What's that?"_

" _Why don't we have our relationship and move it to the next level? Keep it secret from Bellatrix because she will go nuts. That's only if you want to. I'm not going to force you into anything Minerva. I love you." Rodolphus said. Hope shining through her tone and eyes._

" _You want to be with me?" She questioned._

" _I do. You are the only one I want to be with. But my family are forceful."_

" _Then we keep it a secret. We can do this." Minerva said, not knowing whether she was trying to convince him or herself._

" _We can." Rodolphus leant down, brushing his lips over hers softly. Pulling back he smiled. "We can definitely do this."_

 _Hugging her to him he breathed in her perfume a calm coming over him. She was the light in his life. His family were going over to Tom Riddle's or should he say "Voldemort's" way of life, and things were about to get darker. He knew what was coming for him and he didn't want to dwell on it too long._

 _His family or Bellatrix were going to force him into service. He would take what little peace he had with Minerva._

" _We better get back. Patrols are finishing up and the head girl and boy will be checking us off as we go into our common rooms." Minerva said._

" _Okay, meet me tomorrow? We don't have any patrols tomorrow night." Rodolphus asked hopefully._

" _We will see how my homework is going."_

" _Okay. Bye for now love." Rodolphus said. Leaning down slightly he waited for her to meet him halfway and brushed lips again. Kissing her for the first time had been spectacular. The second was heaven. It would quickly become his favourite thing to do._

" _Bye Roddy." She said walking away._

 _Standing and watching her leave he couldn't wait for the next day now that he had gotten his feelings off his chest._

 **oOo**

 **November 15, 1996**

Heading to Hogsmeade with the students in front, Minerva didn't think she would have to watch out for anyone or anything. So when she was pulled behind a large tree trunk, she didn't have time to pull her wand. Whoever had a hold of her was behind and had their hand over her mouth, stopping her from calling out for help.

A warm whisper of breath fluttered over her neck as the person leant down and whispered, "Minerva, it's me. Now I'll take my hand away if you promise not to scream, nod if you agree."

Nodding, and breathing a sigh of relief and slight excitement flooding through her she felt his hand move slowly away, obviously expecting her to scream and being ready to put his hand back at any moment.

Spinning them so her back was against the tree and he was in front of her, she saw Rodolphus for the first time in years. He hadn't aged well and scars now littered his face and hands.

"Merlin, you've only gotten better with age Minerva, Love."

"What are you doing here, Rodolphus? You could be caught." She said nervously peering around.

"I needed to see you and see that you didn't believe I did what they said I did on my own volition." Looking into her eyes he saw the love still shining through as if it had only been yesterday that they had seen each other.

"Of course I believe you. You told me that night what was happening." Minerva smiled up at him.

"Thank you, thank you so much for always being so amazing." Leaning down he laid a gentle kiss on her cheek, not wanting to push her into kissing him so soon. He had been away. She could have moved on with her life in the fifteen years he had been gone.

 **oOo**

 **November 1, 1981**

 _Rodolphus felt the lightness flow over him and his thoughts disappeared one by one, his control slipping away he tried to fight it off, "Your blood traitor girlfriend won't want you after this, yes I know. I've known all along, since we were at Hogwarts." Rodolphus started to breathe deeply. What was she going to do?_

" _Oh don't worry, I'm not going to do anything. I've not been faithful either. He's mine and I don't care what you do. I'm here because he's gone missing and there are rumours, we are going to see if those rumours are true."_

 _Rodolphus followed nimbly behind, still fighting trying to get a hold of his mind again but after years of being placed under the imperius curse he had lost most of his control anyway. He just hoped she didn't make him do anything to Minerva. She was his light. Bellatrix was his darkness._

 **oOo**

 **March 23, 1998**

"Rodolphus, I have to go. The students need me. It's chaos at the school with those horrible siblings there." Minerva said with an inflection of anger in her voice. He knew that she was angry with how her precious school had been over run, and the old headmaster being killed had to have hurt her. That was why he tried his hardest to escape. _For her._

"I know, I'll have to get back soon too before the Dark Lord gets suspicious." Holding her tighter to him pouring as much of his love into her as he could, he breathed in her scent, letting it wash over him, to hold him over until the next time they could meet.

"I still don't understand why _she_ hasn't told him yet. She's known all these years and still nothing."

"I think she thinks if he finds out he will punish her for letting me stray." Rodolphus said.

Standing up he pulled Minerva up with him and held her in his arms, relishing the feel of her warmth and taking in a bit of her light.

"She still has no reason. Just watch out. I don't trust her motives." She pleaded with him.

Times were getting darker and they knew that each time they saw each other could be their last.

"I love you Minerva, my darling bird."

"I love you too Roddy. Now go quickly before I find a way to hide you and keep you here." She said, leaning up and brushing her lips against his, feeling as if sparks flew around them he knew their love had never died. Kissing her was always the same. It brought warmth and love with it. Pulling back ever so slowly Minerva turned and walked away only looking back for a moment to wave to him before rushing back to the castle.

 **oOo**

 **March 26, 1976**

 _Laying under an old oak tree; Rodolphus and Minerva relaxed. The war was getting worse and the climax was surely coming. They had to take every moment they could while it was still slightly quiet as they didn't know when they would get the chance. Their meetings were few and far between these days._

" _You know I almost didn't marry her." Rodolphus whispered._

" _What made you stop?" She asked._

" _You. You told me the night before I had to marry her. To protect us both."_

" _I wish you hadn't now. It was all so much simpler when we were in school and you weren't out there with them." Minerva said, cuddling further in to the crook of his shoulder, hoping he could stay and come back to the castle with her. But knowing he couldn't because of the danger it would put them both in._

" _I wish the same, but we both know it's safer this way, they don't suspect me when I'm on the inside and act as if I'm loyal."_

" _I know, I miss you when you're gone. That's all."_

" _One day, this will all be over and we will be able to do this all the time." Rodolphus said soothingly, rubbing his thumb in a circle on her arm to keep himself calm and sounding as if he actually believed it would all work out for the best._

 _There was no telling how this war was going to go but he could keep her optimistic and hopeful._

" _I love you Roddy." She spoke softly, looking up at him._

" _I love you too, Minerva." He said leaning down and kissing her, breathing in her essence so he could go back and remain strong._

 _For her._

 **oOo**

 **May 2, 1998**

Debris was flying all around, spells barely missing her. Flinging curses back at the death eaters that had breached the school, she made her way through the castle searching for any of the younger students that may have been left behind. Not really paying attention to anything but her task and keeping herself alive, she didn't notice the duel that was being fought up ahead. She didn't realise as she turned the corner and walked away. She didn't realise her whole world was going to be crushed with that duel. She wouldn't realise until later when she was helping gather the dead.

All she could think of was keeping herself alive long enough to get out of this battle and finally help Rodolphus exonerate himself. There was evidence within his mind that he had showed her and she knew he would be excused of his crimes. She held some of the memories in viles in her office just in case he was incapacitated and couldn't talk for himself.

As the fighting died down and Voldemort called for the cease fire and Minerva made her way back down to the Great Hall to help the injured she tripped over something hard and unmoving.

Turning over so she could determine what she had tripped over, her soul ripped apart, her heart breaking as she stared into the blank brown eyes that was her love. Rodolphus' head was turned to the side as if he had been looking for something the moment the curse hit him.

Crawling over to his body she cast Renervate trying to revive him, even though she knew he was gone she wouldn't give up so easily.

"Come on Roddy, you can't leave me. Come on love. Wake up! Wake up Roddy!" She said, tears running down her face as her very being broke.

"Minerva, what's wrong?" A deep baritone voice sounded from behind. Turning she saw Kingsley Shacklebolt standing there, looking worried.

"He's dead." She sobbed into the chest of Rodolphus, holding him to her.

" _I'm confused. That's Rodolphus Lestrange. A Death Eater_." Kingsley said making his way closer.

"You don't understand. It wasn't his choice. He was being controlled." She shouted hysterically.

"What do you mean?"

"He hid it well. So did I. But whenever he was out as a Death Eater he was under the Imperius Curse. _She_ made him do it all. And I was the only one that knew." She said as she stroked along his face, memorising the shape and feel of his skin.

"I'm so sorry Minerva." Kingsley said gasping.

"Why would _you_ be sorry?"

"Myself and Remus were duelling him when he struck down Remus and turned his wand on me. I had no choice." Trying to put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her he found himself pushed back by a forceful blow.

She had used non-verbal and wandless magic against him in anger.

"You killed him?" She shouted. "You could have detained him. Given him a trial."

"I didn't know."

"Just go." She sobbed. Not wanting to move and leave Rodolphus for even a minute she sat on the ground letting the world seep away into nothingness around her. Forgetting all her responsibilities, she sat holding him for the last time, wishing she could go back in time and bring her light back.

Hands tried to pry her away from him but she wouldn't have it. He shouldn't be left alone for a moment. Their relationship flashed before her eyes.

 _He was gone. For good. He usually came back but not this time. Her whole world had fallen into darkness the moment he left the world._

* * *

 **The writer would like to say DEATH DEATH DEATH ALLL DA DEATH and thank you for reading and reviewing this story xx**


	9. Ending Brief

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